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A catastrophic fire tore through a crowded Bangkok nightlife venue Sunday evening, killing at least 27 people and injuring 63 others in Thailand's deadliest building fire in nearly two decades. The blaze erupted during peak operating hours at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, a popular bar and restaurant located on the outskirts of the Thai capital.
Eyewitness video verified by Agence France-Presse (AFP) captured scenes of sheer panic as people fled the venue. Flames violently erupted from the main entrance while fleeing customers scrambled to safety, several with their clothing actively ablaze or severely charred. By early Monday morning, emergency responders had placed multiple body bags on the pavement outside the blackened shell of the building.
"The fire spread very quickly, reaching up to the ceiling," Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters after arriving at the scene. "Smoke was likely the main cause of death."
Forensic police began combing through the charred debris on Monday morning to identify the cause of the fire. Of the 63 survivors rushed to local hospitals, medical officials confirmed that 22 remain in critical condition. Authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation into the venue's safety standards, emergency exits, and building compliance.
The tragedy marks Thailand's most fatal fire disaster since the infamous Santika Club inferno during New Year’s Eve celebrations in 2009. That disaster claimed 67 lives and injured more than 200 people, prompting a decade-long debate over lax safety enforcement in the city's entertainment districts.
A number of the victims were found near a fire exit that authorities believe may have been blocked, the governor said. Motorbike taxi driver Surin Jaiharn said he saw the fire burst into the street from the bar door and helped about five people fleeing with burned and blistering skin. "I feel depressed. I saw many deaths and I do not know the fate of the people I helped," the 45-year-old said.
He said he used cloths to put out flames on their bodies while another driver carried a female victim away from the danger. Authorities said Monday they had identified 10 of the victims so far, nine of them Thai nationals and the other from Laos.
The venue has a stage, two bars and a kitchen, with a total capacity of more than 300 people, as well as four fire exits, according to a Facebook post promoting a live show this month. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who earlier visited the scene, said Monday the venue was licensed to operate as a restaurant, adding that police were looking at its inspection record.
He assured the victims and their families that they would "receive the best possible care." Initial inquiries suggested there were "blind spots" without a visible fire escape route, Anutin told reporters at City Hall. He urged everyone to wait for the investigators' report, but added, "There will be no leniency if any laws have been broken."
The fire broke out around 11:00 p.m. local time (4:00 p.m. GMT) on Sunday, and police said around 2:00 a.m. local time on Monday that it was under control. Laotian tourist Kan Kutirat said he heard "loud screaming from a lot of people inside."
"I never experienced anything like this before," he told AFP. "The images are still stuck in my mind." He said he helped carry a woman out of the bar.
He shared a video on Facebook, showing people fleeing into the street as flames surged out the door, adding: "I could only get one person out. I tried my best. I'm sorry."
Most of the bar's windows were blown out, and AFP reporters saw beer bottles and stools covered in white dust. Earlier, Anutin said musicians at the venue described "smoke from a circuit breaker near the stage, followed by the power going out and an explosion".
"Most of the victims ran to the back, to the toilets with no exit. It could be because of panic because there was fire and smoke," the premier told reporters. Suriyachai Rawiwan, head of Bangkok's disaster prevention department, said emergency services arrived within five minutes of being called, but the fire had already spread. "When we went in to search, we found tables and seating blocking the way everywhere and the heat was intense," said Suriyachai.
Thailand's approach to health and safety regulations, particularly in its bars and nightclubs, has long raised concerns. In 2022, 25 people died after a fire ripped through the Mountain B nightclub in Thailand's eastern Chonburi province.
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