A fire at a beer hall in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, has left at least 27 people dead and dozens more injured, sparking an investigation into what caused the blaze and why the death toll was so high — including whether emergency exits may have been blocked.
The fire at Na Ladprao bar in northern Bangkok ranks among the deadliest club fires in Thailand since New Year’s Day 2009, when 67 people lost their lives in a nightclub blaze.
The tragedy is a grim reminder of a long history of deadly fires at bars, nightclubs, and music venues across the globe. Here is a look at some of the worst:
January 2026: On New Year’s Day, a fire tore through a bar at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in the early morning hours, killing 41 people and injuring more than 100.
December 2025: A fire swept through a popular nightclub in Arpora village in India’s Goa state, claiming the lives of 25 people, including kitchen workers and tourists.
March 2025: A fire and subsequent stampede at the packed Pulse club in Kocani, North Macedonia, killed 63 people — most of them young partygoers — and left more than 200 injured. The fire was triggered by a pyrotechnic flame that spread across the club’s roof.
April 2024: A fire at the Masquerade nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, trapped workers inside while the venue was shut down for renovations. Twenty-nine people died. The club was located on the ground and basement floors of a 16-story residential building.
October 2023: A fire that began at a nightclub in the southeastern Spanish city of Murcia spread to two neighboring clubs, resulting in 13 deaths.
January 2022: A nightclub in Sorong, in Indonesia’s West Papua province, caught fire after two groups clashed inside the building, killing 19 people.
January 2022: A fire at Liv’s Nightclub Yaouba in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, triggered a series of explosions that killed 17 people. Government officials attributed the fire to fireworks.
December 2016: Thirty-six people died when fire broke out at a converted warehouse in Oakland, California, known as the “Ghost Ship,” which served as both a residence and an event space for artists. The blaze erupted during an electronic music and dance party and spread so rapidly that people were trapped on an illegally built second floor.
October 2015: A pyrotechnics display by a rock band at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, Romania’s capital, sparked a fire that killed 64 people and injured roughly 190 others.
January 2013: More than 200 people were killed in a fire at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, a city in southern Brazil. Investigators determined that soundproofing foam on the ceiling ignited and released toxic gases that rapidly killed those attending a university party.
December 2009: An indoor fireworks display set off a blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia, when the sparks ignited a plastic ceiling adorned with branches. About 152 people died.
January 2009: An indoor fireworks show following a New Year’s countdown ignited a fire at the Santika club in Bangkok, Thailand, killing 67 people and injuring many more. Victims perished from burns, smoke inhalation, and being crushed in the chaos.
September 2008: A fireworks display at the overcrowded King of Dancers nightclub in Shenzhen, China, ignited the ceiling and triggered a deadly stampede. Forty-four people were killed.
December 2004: In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a flare set fire to ceiling foam at the packed Cromagnon Republic club, killing 194 people. Club owner Omar Chaban was later sentenced to 20 years in prison for causing the fatal fire and for bribery, while others involved received lesser sentences.
February 2003: One hundred people died and more than 200 were hurt when fireworks used by a performing band ignited flammable foam inside the Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
January 2001: Fourteen people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire at a cafe in the Dutch town of Volendam, where patrons were ringing in the New Year.
December 2000: A fire blamed on a welding accident killed 309 people at a disco in the central Chinese city of Luoyang.
