Police probe Bangkok bar fire

BANGKOK — An explosive fire at a pub in Thailand's capital Bangkok killed 27 people and injured dozens, officials said on Monday, with police investigating possible negligence including obstructed emergency exits as people scrambled to flee the burning venue.

One video of the incident posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed thick smoke billowing out of the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub, before an intense horizontal plume of fire jetted out of a doorway, as screaming customers fled the premises around midnight on Sunday.

"Most of the victims ran to the back of the building, into the bathroom, and there was no clear sign of a fire exit," said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the site early on Monday.

According to the Bangkok Emergency Medical Centre, the number of injured people was 73, with 25 in critical condition. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said most of the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation and that the authorities are working on identifying victims as many did not carry ID.

The pub is located at a busy intersection in northern Bangkok, connected by its urban rail systems and adjacent to two shopping malls, within walking distance of movie theaters, large parks and the Chatuchak weekend market that is popular in the daytime with foreign tourists.

The area has a number of bars with live music that are typically crowded on weekend nights.

The city's disaster administration said its initial assessment was that an electrical short circuit in a ceiling air conditioner may have caused the fire, while police said there may have been issues with fire exits, overloaded wiring and use of flammable materials in renovations to enhance sound.

Primary theory

"At this time, police have established negligence as the primary theory guiding their investigation," National Police Chief Kitrat Phanphet told reporters.

Firefighter Chakrit Khongkom, 45, said he arrived on the first fire truck to see the pub alight and many patrons stranded inside, several trying to escape from the back of the venue. The few people coming through the front of the venue were burnt.

"The smoke was everywhere," he said. "Most of the survivors were choking on smoke."

In the hours after the fire, Sukanya Wongwongwai waited outside the pub, looking for a missing friend. Survivors had told her about the chaos that had ensued inside.

"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," said Sukanya, 32.

"Some people were injured because of the (debris) from the ceiling because it seems that the ceiling was made out of foam material to absorb sound."

Entertainment venues have suffered several fires in recent years in Thailand. At least 13 people were killed in a nightclub fire in Chonburi in 2022, while 65 people died in a blaze during a New Year party at a packed Bangkok club in 2009.

City authorities said Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao had a license as a restaurant and live music venue and had been inspected in April this year, when fire exits, emergency signs and fire extinguishers were in place.

The governor's office said the pub's ceiling materials, decorations and indoor equipment would be examined, as well as the possibility that tables and other items might have been blocking exits.

In a video shared by Anutin's office during an inspection of the scene, the premier was told that a door that was once an exit was bolted, with the proprietor afraid that customers would slip out without paying their bills.

The door had a sign that said "staff only" and could be opened to the outside, but an official told Anutin customers would not have been aware.

"If they had run this way, it would have been fine," Anutin responded.

"There are two fire exits, one is near the kitchen. There were beer crates in the way," Governor Chadchart told reporters, adding that there was a table in the way of the other fire exit. He said a forensic examination was underway.

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