An Australian family have had their passports confiscated by Indonesian police after a fire believed to have been sparked by birthday balloons destroyed the well-known Chez Gado-Gado restaurant in Seminyak, Bali. Caitlin Speedy, 35, had bought balloons to celebrate her mother's 70th birthday at the venue, but they ignited when staff attempted to light sparklers, engulfing the restaurant in flames shortly after 7.30pm. The incident matters because it has left the family effectively trapped in Indonesia while authorities investigate, despite them insisting they are merely witnesses rather than culprits.

Ms Speedy and her partner, Jye Wals, had their passports seized, while her parents and 17-year-old son were stopped at the airport and barred from leaving the country after attempting to depart. Ms Speedy said she believed the balloons were filled with helium, as is standard practice in Australia, but Indonesian authorities suspect they instead contained flammable hydrogen, which is cheaper but highly combustible unlike the inert helium gas. No one was seriously injured in the blaze, and police continue to investigate its precise cause and circumstances.