Hydrogen explosion from compressed hydrogen bottles

Release from a compressed hydrogen bottle used to fill balloons. The release was followed by ignition and perhaps fast deflagration. Nine people affected, including the operator of the bottle.

INITIATING CAUSE was an accidental release of hydrogen from a compressed gas bottle.
No details are available. In most of the events involving manual filling of balloons, the ROOT CAUSE is a human error, just for the shear fact that a high-pressure hydrogen system is used outside industrial premises. This goes often together with lack of awareness and know-how.

Compressed hydrogen cylinder

Nitrogen was injected into the system. A first fire-fighting was started with an extinguisher. Upon arrival of the local fire brigade allowed for water-spraying.

Filling entertainment ballos with hydrogen is prohibited by most of the countries, because it implies too high hazards to the population, in absence of the know-how and the safety system required to prevent and mitigate an incident. Nevertheless, the prohibition is often neglected, because hydrogen gas costs much less than helium gases, which is the safe alternative.

The local government issued an order to stop the business of inflating balloons with hydrogen.