A seaside celebration in Bali turned terrifying when a balloon reportedly burst inside a well-known restaurant, triggering a fast-moving fire that tore through the venue.
Footage from the scene showed flames engulfing Chez Gado-Gado in the popular Seminyak resort district on Sunday. The blaze left an Australian teenager in hospital with burn injuries, according to 7News.
Witness Tara Borelli, from Sydney, said the incident unfolded during a 70th birthday gathering. “There was a 70th birthday, and they had two balloons on their table and a waitress went to light the candle on the birthday cake, but she lit it a bit too close to the balloon,” Borelli told News.com.au. “It popped, then exploded. We felt the heat from the pop.”
Borelli said panic spread almost instantly as the restaurant’s straw roof caught alight. “I just grabbed my daughter and little cousin and ran straight onto the beach towards the water,” she said, adding that “within minutes” the entire restaurant was burning.
Flames consume the Chez Gado-Gado restaurant in Bali, Indonesia, during a fire that broke out on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (Chrissy Lomas via Storyful)
“It lit up like a firecracker… people were screaming and crying and running around,” Paul Cole, another witness, told 9News.
The Badung Fire and Rescue Service said it took more than two hours to put out the flames and there were no casualties, according to The Bali Sun.
First Inspector I Gede Adi Saputra Jaya of the Denpasar Police, citing statements from witnesses at the scene, told reporters Monday that the fire is “strongly suspected” to have started after a balloon “was hit by a candle flame, causing it to explode and catch fire,” the website added.
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It took firefighters more than two hours to put out the flames at the Chez Gado-Gado restaurant in the Seminyak resort area of Bali, Indonesia, officials said. (Chrissy Lomas via Storyful)
“Initial extinguishing efforts using fire extinguishers by restaurant staff were unsuccessful because the fire had already grown large and spread quickly to the thatched roof,” he reportedly said.
One witness told 9News, “There are the balloons, a lot of explosions, explosion and explosion and explosion, it was just, yeah, it was terrible.”
“It was just bedlam,” added Joe Xuereb, another witness. “As soon as the fire started, people didn’t know what to do.”
Witnesses reported chaos at the restaurant in Bali, Indonesia, after the fire erupted on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (Chrissy Lomas via Storyful)
The restaurant now says on its website that it is “temporarily closed.”