Cake sparklers set off hydrogen Balloon Fireball during Birthday surprise in Bukhara
A birthday celebration in Bukhara nearly turned into a tragedy after cake sparklers ignited hydrogen-filled balloons, creating a sudden fireball just inches from the guest of honor’s face. The frightening incident involved Nozza Usmanova, who was waiting by the entrance of a shop when friends and relatives surprised her with balloons and a birthday cake.
CCTV footage shows the excited celebrant standing near the doorway moments before the decorations suddenly caught fire. Seconds after greeting her family, a woman handed Nozza a cake topped with cold-fire candles. Nozza quickly blew out the flames, but the hot tips of the sparklers remained. When one of them touched the hydrogen-filled balloons nearby, the gas ignited instantly, triggering a powerful blast.
Nozza described the terrifying moment afterward, saying: “It happened so fast. I am unsure how I was able to escape that.” The footage shows a large flash of fire engulfing the doorway as Nozza and her guests instinctively fled the area. Flames surged for only a split second before disappearing, narrowly avoiding serious injury. Miraculously, no one was hurt in the explosion.
Guests immediately checked on everyone who had been nearby, including a mother holding her baby at the time of the blast. Nozza later expressed relief that the incident did not end in tragedy. “It’s a relief that nobody was hurt and there was no damage done,” she said.
Hydrogen is a highly flammable gas sometimes used in balloons because it allows them to float, but it poses significant fire risks. Even small sparks, open flames, or candles can ignite the gas, leading to dangerous explosions like the one seen in this incident.
The near-miss in Uzbekistan echoes a far more serious accident that occurred in 2018, when a birthday girl in India suffered severe burns after hydrogen balloons exploded during her party. Disturbing footage from that incident showed balloons igniting as the girl lit candles on her cake, engulfing her and several friends in flames. Photos later revealed she sustained horrific burns to her arms.
Because of these dangers, many countries have banned hydrogen-filled balloons. The UK outlawed their use as early as 1914 due to the gas’s extreme flammability. Safety experts continue to warn against combining open flames, sparklers, or candles with any type of flammable balloon gas, urging party planners to opt for safer alternatives to prevent similar close calls.
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