Bangkok pub fire kills 27 as police examine possible safety lapses

BANGKOK: A fire that tore through a pub in the Thai capital around midnight on Sunday killed 27 people and injured 63 others, officials said, as police began investigating whether negligence and blocked escape routes worsened the toll.

Authorities said the blaze struck Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, a venue in northern Bangkok near shopping malls, cinemas, parks and the Chatuchak weekend market. The area is known for bars with live music that are often busy on weekend nights. Bangkok disaster prevention and mitigation department director Suriyachai Rawiwan said 22 of the injured were in critical condition.

Social media footage verified by Reuters showed thick smoke pouring from the pub before a fierce burst of flames shot out from a doorway as customers screamed and fled. Officials said early assessments suggested the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit in a ceiling air conditioner, though a forensic examination was still underway.

Investigation focuses on exits and interior materials

Police said they were looking into possible problems including emergency exits, overloaded wiring and the use of flammable materials during renovations intended to improve sound inside the venue. National Police chief Kittiratt Phanphet told reporters that negligence was the main line of inquiry.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the scene early on Monday, said many victims appeared to have tried to escape toward the rear of the building.

Most of the victims ran to the back of the building, into the bathroom, and there was no clear sign of a fire exit

City authorities said the premises was licensed as a restaurant and live music venue and had been inspected in April, when fire exits, emergency signs and fire extinguishers were reported to be in place. The governor’s office said investigators would examine ceiling materials, decorations and indoor equipment, along with whether tables or other objects blocked exits.

In a video shared by Anutin’s office during the inspection, an official told the prime minister that one door that had previously served as an exit had been bolted because the proprietor feared customers might leave without paying. The door carried a staff-only sign and opened outward, but the official said patrons would not have known it was an exit. Anutin responded:

If they had run this way, it would have been fine

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said there were two fire exits, one near the kitchen, but beer crates were in the way, while a table obstructed the other. Based on survivor accounts, officials said the fire may have started near the front stage area and spread quickly, forcing many people toward the back, where the kitchen and bathrooms are located.

Rescue workers describe smoke-filled interior

Firefighter Chakrit Khongkom, 45, said he was on the first engine to arrive and found the pub engulfed in flames, with many patrons trapped inside and several trying to get out through the rear. He said those who made it out through the front had suffered burns.

The smoke was everywhere

Chakrit added:

Most of the survivors were choking on smoke.

Body-camera footage seen by Reuters showed firefighters wearing oxygen masks moving through the darkened remains of the venue with torches while searching for survivors and victims. Several bodies were visible near the toilets as rescue workers brought in stretchers.

Describing what teams found inside, Chakrit said:

We sent in a rescue and search squad and found that a lot of people were inside the toilet. Most of them were trying to escape to the back because they saw that the flame was at the front

Outside the pub after the fire, Sukanya Wongwongwai waited for a missing friend. She said survivors had described how the incident began.

My friend, who was singing on stage, said at first they noticed the smell of something burning, then a little after they saw the ceiling was on fire

She added that some people were hurt by falling material from above because, she said, the ceiling appeared to be made of foam intended to absorb sound.

Past fires raise safety concerns

Entertainment venues in Thailand have seen several deadly fires in recent years. In 2022, at least 13 people were killed in a nightclub blaze in Chonburi. In 2009, 65 people died in a packed Bangkok club during a New Year party; an investigation later found corruption and safety violations were major factors.

In the early hours after the latest fire, bodies marked with numbers were laid in two rows outside as forensic teams inspected the site. Firefighters remained near the entrance of the pub, whose front facade was left blackened by the blaze.