A massive fire ripped through a music bar in Bangkok late Sunday night, killing at least 27 people and leaving 25 others in critical condition — making it the deadliest fire the Thai capital has seen in 17 years.
The blaze broke out at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar, located in a northern section of the city, just before midnight. Photographs from the scene showed panicked patrons running from the single-story building as flames burst through it and thick black smoke rose into the night sky. Scattered shoes left behind by people desperate to escape were visible in images taken after the fire was extinguished.
Bangkok city officials reported that firefighters managed to get the blaze under control within roughly 30 minutes. By Monday morning, forensic teams had cordoned off the area and were carefully searching through the charred wreckage to determine what started the fire.
The destruction was evident from the street — windows had been blown out, and the sidewalk was covered in debris including burned television sets, speakers, and a scorched electric guitar. Through the shattered windows, gutted tables could be seen inside, some still holding empty beer bottles.
Thai national police chief Kittharath Punpetch, who visited the site Monday morning, said the majority of the victims were discovered in windowless bathrooms near a rear exit. He believes people may have retreated there to escape the flames in the main hall. He noted that the exit had not been used, possibly because a table set up in the hallway to sell candy blocked the path, or because the darkness made it impossible to find.
Kittharath also said that access to another exit near the kitchen may have been narrowed by shelving units and lockers. He added there were indications that at least some exit doors may have been locked.
Investigators are zeroing in on the ceiling above the performance stage, where materials believed to have been used as decorations were discovered. Police plan to look into whether flammable materials were used in the building’s interior and how electrical wiring was run across the ceiling.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that a musician who had been performing at the bar described seeing smoke coming from a circuit breaker near the stage just before the power went out. The performer said an explosion followed, and thick smoke rapidly filled the venue.
Bangkok’s Erawan emergency services center confirmed 73 people were injured in total, with 25 in critical condition. Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said the majority of deaths resulted from smoke inhalation, and that authorities are working to identify victims, many of whom were not carrying identification.
Buddhist monks came to the site Monday morning to pray for those who lost their lives, while nurses distributed face masks to nearby residents to shield them from lingering smoke and fumes. A registration station was also established to collect information from family members arriving at the scene in search of loved ones.
Singer Sukanya Wongwongwai said she had been performing at a nearby venue when she heard about the fire and rushed over, as several of her bandmates had been playing at the bar that night. She said one of them died, three were taken to the hospital, and one remains unaccounted for.
“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 said.
The tragedy follows a 2022 fire at a music bar in eastern Thailand that killed 14 people. More than a decade earlier, 66 people died and over 200 were injured when fire broke out during a New Year’s Eve celebration at the Santika nightclub in Bangkok on January 1, 2009 — a blaze believed to have been ignited by an indoor fireworks display.
