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Tourist’s exploding balloons set Bali restaurant on fire, now she can’t leave the island
An Australian woman whose balloons set fire to a restaurant in Bali says her passport has been seized by local authorities
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An Australian woman whose balloons set fire to a restaurant in Bali says her passport has been seized by local authorities, leaving her trapped on the Indonesian island. Caitlin Speedy had planned a trip to Bali with her partner, her son and her parents to celebrate her mother’s 70th birthday. But when balloons bought to celebrate the milestone birthday exploded inside a restaurant, sparking a massive blaze, Speedy was left ‘stranded’ on the holiday isle.
According to Perth Now, the Australian family visited Chez Gado Gado in Bali last Sunday to celebrate the 70th birthday of Caitlin Speedy’s mother. Speedy bought party balloons for the celebration, but the happy night took a tragic turn when the balloons suddenly exploded, sparking a fire that blazed through the restaurant.
Balloons spark blaze in Bali
Speedy said she was shocked by the explosion. She had assumed that the balloons were filled with helium. However, authorities now suspect that hydrogen, a cheaper alternative to helium, had been used in the balloons. Hydrogen gas is highly flammable.
“I have no idea how they exploded, it just went up,” Speedy said.
The Australian woman claims that the balloon seller has washed his hands of all responsibility, saying they would have filled the balloons with helium if that’s what she’d asked for from the start.
“I was horrified,” she said. “I felt like they had literally sold me a ticking time bomb.”
Son injured in fire
The fire had Chez Gado Gado customers running for their lives. Caitlin Speedy, however, ran back into the flames.
“I just looked at my family and said, ‘I’ve got to go back’ and I ran straight through, I just didn’t want anyone to die,” she said.
(Also read: Indian travel blogger shows what ₹1,000 gets you in Bali: 'Budget traveller’s dream')
Speedy’s 17-year-old son was caught in the fire and suffered burn injuries. He was hospitalised for treatment and has since been discharged.
Bali police have seized the family’s passports, leaving them effectively trapped on the island. Speedy says she is feeling like a criminal through no fault of hers.
“We’re only pulled in as witnesses and yet we’re still being treated differently,” she said. “I don’t think we should be held here. There were 300 people in the building, like everyone else essentially is a witness.”
