Hanoi girl's terrifying birthday: Balloons explode, face covered in fire

Unexpected accident

On February 20, a social media account named Giang Pham (Hanoi) posted a story about an unexpected accident she had on her birthday. She was burned while taking photos and recording a video to commemorate her birthday.

Previously, on February 14, Ms. Giang held a birthday party at the restaurant. The party space was decorated with many balloons. To create more highlights, she bought another bunch of balloons and held it in her hand.

As the party was coming to an end, Giang held a birthday cake with candles in one hand and a bunch of balloons in the other. She stood on stage, posing for her friends to take pictures and videos as souvenirs.

In a moment of carelessness, she let the balloons come into contact with the burning candle on the birthday cake. The large balloon suddenly exploded, flames burst out, covering her face.

Having an unexpected accident, she threw away the birthday cake and balloons, covered her face with both hands and ran into the bathroom. She immediately poured water on her face to relieve the burning sensation. She was then taken to the hospital for treatment.

She shared: “The incident happened 6 days ago, but only today did I calm down enough to review the process of the balloon exploding and causing my burns.

Over the past few days, my friends have asked me about my condition and I have sent them the video, but I have not had the courage to watch it. The incident scared me so much. When I found out that I had burns on my face, I was very confused.

I cried all day because I didn't know what my life and work would be like after being burned on my face like that.

Fortunately, I suffered first and second degree burns and was treated as an outpatient. Doctors said that my scars would not leave scars after they healed completely. However, it will take months for my skin to recover its color.”

Lesson

Ms. Giang said that the balloons she used at the birthday party contained hydrogen gas, so they were flammable.

The incident happened on Valentine's Day, so the balloon seller forgot to advise and warn the victim that this type of balloon is flammable.

She had also not heard much about balloons exploding and causing burns to users. Therefore, when holding the balloons, she still carefreely danced to the music, placing them near the burning candle.

She confided: "When the balloon exploded, the fire flared up, rising high and burning the entire array of balloons the restaurant had prepared. Luckily, these balloons contained normal air, otherwise it could have led to a serious fire.

If I had known, I would never have put myself in such a dangerous situation. That is also the reason I posted this article, sharing my unfortunate accident.

I hope that through my accident, people will understand and be more careful when using balloons, not letting themselves fall into dangerous situations or have unnecessary accidents."

Previously, the press also reported many times about balloon explosions causing fires and dangerous accidents.

One of these is the case of 7 students at Yen Phu Primary School (Yen Phu Commune, Yen Dinh District, Thanh Hoa) who were burned by a balloon explosion that happened 2 years ago.

A year ago, a female student named TH (15 years old, Tuyen Quang) was also hospitalized due to burns. The cause was that TH used balloons for decoration but the balloon exploded.

To prevent the risk of fire or explosion when using balloons, people need to stay away from heat and electrical sources; do not bring balloons near candles, lighters, gas stoves, sparks or any other heat sources. Absolutely do not release balloons near power lines.

In particular, adults need to provide careful guidance when letting children play with balloons. Children should not be allowed to play with balloons near areas with high-risk objects.