Bangkok pub fire kills at least 27 people

A fire tore through a Bangkok pub shortly after midnight Monday, killing at least 27 people and sending several others to hospitals, Thai officials said, as investigators worked to determine what sparked the blaze.

Firefighters were called to the venue in the northern part of the Thai capital around midnight and found people fleeing through the front door as flames and thick black smoke poured from the building. First responders shared footage online showing a large blaze at the Na Ladprao pub, while other unverified video showed flames blasting from the venue as patrons tried to escape.

Thailand’s prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, told reporters at the scene that 27 people had died and that several injured people had been taken to the hospital. He said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Anutin said he spoke with a musician who had been performing when the fire began. “He said that there was a fire at the cut-out switch, and after that things happened very quickly,” Anutin told reporters, according to the BBC. “There was blasting and everybody tried to flee from the smoke and flames.”

NPR reported that the musician told the prime minister he saw smoke coming from a circuit breaker near the stage before the power went out, an explosion was heard and thick smoke quickly filled the pub.

Many victims were found in restrooms at the back of the building, Anutin said. “Many of them were not able to make their way out because they went to the back of the building and tried to hide themselves from the smoke and flames in the toilet, and that’s where we found most of the bodies,” he said, according to the BBC.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about half an hour. Photos taken after the fire was extinguished showed a blackened interior, charred tables and chairs, and heavy damage to the ceiling and other parts of the pub.

The BBC reported that the bar, named locally as Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, is in Bangkok’s Chatuchak District and is known in the area as an entertainment venue and restaurant, citing the Thai outlet Daily News. NPR identified the venue as the Na Ladprao pub in the northern part of the capital.

Personnel from the Sutthisan Fire and Rescue Station arrived at the scene at 12:02 a.m. local time, the BBC reported. The BBC also cited unverified reports that a driver passing the venue saw the fire break out at about 11:30 p.m. local time and told Daily News he got out of his car and broke windows to help two people escape.

Thai outlet Thairath reported that a number of people were still missing after the disaster, according to the BBC.

NPR reported that Thailand has experienced similar deadly nightclub and pub fires before. In 2022, 14 people were killed in a fire at a music pub in eastern Thailand. On Jan. 1, 2009, 66 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire during a New Year’s celebration at the Santika nightclub in Bangkok; NPR reported that blaze was apparently sparked by an indoor fireworks display.