A massive fire engulfed a music bar in Bangkok overnight, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 individuals and leaving 25 hospitalized in critical condition, marking the deadliest blaze in the Thai capital in 17 years.
Photos from the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar, located in a northern area of the Thai capital, showed people escaping as flames erupted from the single-story structure and dense black smoke filled the sky. Images from the aftermath revealed scattered shoes belonging to those fleeing the tragedy.
Bangkok city officials reported that the fire began shortly before midnight on Sunday, taking approximately half an hour for firefighters to bring it under control.
By Monday morning, daylight allowed dozens of Thai forensic officers to cordon off the site and search the burned remains for clues regarding the cause of the fire.
The building's street-facing windows were blown out, and debris covered the sidewalk, including charred television sets, speakers, and an electric guitar. The extent of the destruction was visible through the shattered windows from outside, showing burned tables inside, some still containing empty beer bottles.
Thai national police chief Kittharath Punpetch stated that most fatalities were found trapped in windowless bathrooms near one of the bar's rear exits, where victims may have sought shelter to escape the hall flames.
He noted that this exit had not been utilized, suggesting people might have been prevented from reaching it by a candy-selling table set up in the hall, or due to insufficient visibility.
Kittharath also mentioned that access to another exit near the kitchen could have been restricted by shelving units and lockers during his visit to the scene on Monday morning. He added there were indications that some of the exit doors might have been locked.
Investigators are currently focusing on the ceiling above the performance stage, where materials potentially used as decorative elements were discovered. Police will examine whether flammable substances were employed in the interior and how electrical wiring was installed across the ceiling.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul informed reporters that a musician performing at the bar told him he saw smoke emanating from a circuit breaker near the stage before power failed, followed by an explosion and rapid filling of the venue with thick smoke.
According to Bangkok’s Erawan emergency services center, 73 people were injured overall, with 25 in critical condition. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt stated that most deaths resulted from smoke inhalation and confirmed authorities are working to identify victims who did not carry identification.
Some Buddhist monks visited the site Monday morning to pray for the deceased, while nurses distributed face masks to nearby individuals as a precaution against smoke and residual fumes from the burned building.
A registration area was established to collect information from relatives arriving at the scene searching for their loved ones.
Singer Sukanya Wongwongwai reported that she was performing in the vicinity when she learned of the fire and went to the location because several members of her band were playing at the bar. She confirmed one bandmate died, three were hospitalized, and one remains missing.
“From what I heard from people who were inside, when the fire started everything went dark. The power was out and there was smoke everywhere, so they couldn’t locate other people,” she stated.
In 2022, a music bar fire in eastern Thailand killed 14 people. More than a decade prior, on January 1, 2009, a fire at the Santika nightclub in the capital resulted in 66 deaths and over 200 injuries; that blaze was reportedly started by an indoor fireworks display.