This is the horrifying moment a birthday balloon exploded in a young woman’s face after it floated over candles on her cake – leaving her with serious burns.
Giang Pham, from Vietnam, was celebrating her 33rd birthday on February 14 when the hydrogen balloon in her hand exploded in her face.
Footage shows Pham holding the balloon in one hand front of a sign that read ‘Happy Birthday Giang Pham,’ while her other hand balanced a lit birthday cake.
Pham, posing for photos, can be seen smiling before the balloon suddenly blew up as it flew over the cake, sending a fireball engulfing her face and right arm.
Her friends’ shocked gasps can be heard in the background as the chaos unfolded.
In the days following the incident, Pham shared photos on Instagram showing her bandaged face, revealing first-degree burns on her hand and second-degree burns on her face.
Despite the pain, she reassured followers that her vision was unaffected, though she still faces months of recovery.
Pham is now warning others about the risks of using highly flammable hydrogen in balloons – which is often used instead of the safer helium alternative to make them fly higher.
Giang Pham, from Vietnam, was celebrating her 33rd birthday on 14 February when the hydrogen balloon in her hand exploded in her face
Pham, posing for photos, can be seen smiling before the balloon suddenly blew up as it flew over the cake, sending a fireball engulfing her face and right arm
Her friends’ shocked gasps can be heard in the background as the chaos unfolded
She said: ‘My vision is not severely affected but there are wounds on my eyelids.
‘The doctor estimated up to six months for my skin to recover. I still have to go to the hospital for dressing changes and treatment.’
It comes after a worried mother revealed how having floating balloons at a children’s birthday party can lead to disaster – with some decorators allegedly filling them with ‘explosive’ hydrogen to cut costs on helium.
At a quarter of the price of helium, hydrogen appears to be a budget-friendly option for operators looking to improve profit margins or keep costs low for customers.
But it isn’t a safe alternative, and not an industry-wide practice as it is an extremely volatile gas.
The gas is explosive and doesn’t need an open flame to set it off – the friction created by kids playing with them is enough.
Tina, from Australia, and her family learned about the helium replacement the hard way – when a giant, attractive balloon exploded ‘shaking her house’.
The family had held onto the balloon after her son’s seventh birthday party and had been playing with it moments before it exploded.
In the days following the incident, Pham shared photos on Instagram showing her bandaged face, revealing first-degree burns on her hand and second-degree burns on her face
Pham is now warning others about the risks of using highly flammable hydrogen in balloons – which is often used instead of the safer helium alternative to make them fly higher
Pham said: ‘The doctor estimated up to six months for my skin to recover. I still have to go to the hospital for dressing changes and treatment’
‘They tossed the balloon like a beach ball and we even joined in a couple of times.
‘My son took it with him to the bedroom because he wanted to pee and suddenly we heard a LOUD explosion and the force rocked our house,’ she said in a post published by Tiny Hearts Education.
‘We even saw a bit of spark/fire along with the boom,’ she said.
Her son was burned on the forearm when the balloon exploded.
The accident left the mother and her husband confused – as their understanding was helium never explodes even when exposed to fire.
