Fire at Bangkok bar kills 27, eight critically injured

A devastating fire at a well-known bar in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, Thailand, has claimed the lives of at least 27 people.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated that eight people are in critical condition following the incident. Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after the fire broke out past midnight on Monday.

By the time they arrived, the main entrance of the bar was engulfed in flames, and patrons were fleeing to save their lives. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started near the stage of the bar.

The fire spread rapidly, causing a power outage, and within moments, the entire hall was filled with smoke. Videos shared on social media platform X show intense flames coming from the bar, with people screaming and running outside, and some falling.

According to Prime Minister Charnvirakul, the official cause of the fire is still under investigation. Local media reported that around 11:30 PM, a driver passing by saw the fire and rescued two people by breaking a window.

Firefighters arrived shortly after. The Prime Minister, while providing information about the incident, mentioned speaking with a musician who was performing on stage when the fire broke out. According to him, the fire started near the main electrical switch (cut-out switch).

Everything happened very quickly after that. There was a sound like an explosion, and everyone started running to escape the smoke and fire, he said. According to the Prime Minister, many people ran towards the back of the building as they couldn’t exit through the main door. ‘Many tried to hide in the restroom to escape the smoke, but we found most of the bodies there.’

Firefighters managed to control the fire in about half an hour. By then, nine men and 18 women had died. Over 60 injured people are being treated in hospitals, with eight in critical condition.

According to Suriyachai Ravivan, head of Bangkok’s disaster management department, initial investigations suggest that most deaths were due to suffocation from smoke. However, an official confirmation will only come after a detailed investigation.

Motorcycle driver Surin Jaiharn, who was involved in the rescue efforts at the scene, said he saved about five people from the fire. ‘I am very sad. I saw so many people die. I don’t even know the condition of the people I saved,’ he told AFP.

The bar where the fire occurred is known as ‘Rong Beer Na Lat Prao’. Photos taken after the fire was extinguished show rows of body bags outside the bar, with the area cordoned off for security.

The furniture, walls, and ceiling inside the bar are completely charred, and parts of the ceiling have started to collapse. According to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, the decorative materials used on the ceiling were highly flammable, which may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

He suggested that the toxic smoke from these materials could have caused many people to lose consciousness. According to him, many unconscious people were found near the emergency exit.

It is suspected that tables or other items might have blocked the exit path. However, he mentioned that a final conclusion will only be reached after a detailed forensic investigation.

This is not the first major fire in a bar or nightclub in Thailand. Four years ago, a fire at a bar south of Bangkok claimed 22 lives.

Similarly, in 2009, a devastating fire at a nightclub in Bangkok resulted in the deaths of 66 people.