Shocking CCTV footage has captured the terrifying moment a street vendor in Indonesia was suddenly swallowed by a massive fireball while selling meatballs in a residential neighbourhood, yet he managed to walk away with only minor burns.
The dramatic incident unfolded on Saturday, 17 October, around 10.30–11.00 local time in the Kompleks Taruna Parahyangan area of Ujung Berung, Bandung, West Java. The vendor, who was pushing or carrying his mobile bakso (meatball) cart through the quiet streets, was using a small portable gas canister, the type typically used for camping stoves, to keep his food warm or cook on the move.
In the viral surveillance footage, the man is seen making his way along the road with his loaded cart when, without warning, the gas canister erupts. A roaring fireball erupts around him and his equipment, scattering debris across the pavement as flames briefly engulf the vendor and his livelihood.
Despite the intensity of the blast, the vendor is then seen dropping his load and continuing to walk away. Local reports state he suffered burns to his face, head, neck, hands and back. Residents who rushed out after hearing the loud explosion found him still alight and quickly doused the flames with water.
Yuyun Rosiyani, head of the local neighbourhood association (RW 2), described the chaos: residents were startled by the explosion, thinking something had fallen from above, only to discover the vendor on fire. She said he was clearly in shock. When neighbours offered to take him to hospital, he refused and asked to be taken home instead.
The blast destroyed much of his stock, bakso, noodles and seasonings were scattered across the road and could not be sold. Locals, who recognised the vendor as a regular presence in the complex, began organising a WhatsApp collection to help him recover financially.
The footage, which has been widely shared including by Fox News, has drawn international attention for the sheer suddenness of the explosion and the vendor’s narrow escape. Indonesian media described the burns as relatively light, though the vendor was left shaken by the ordeal.
Street vendors across Indonesia commonly rely on small portable gas canisters for mobile cooking, but incidents like this highlight the risks involved when equipment fails without warning. No further details about the exact cause of the gas failure have been confirmed.
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