A fire tore through a popular pub in northern Bangkok early Monday, killing 27 people and injuring dozens more, Thai authorities said, in one of the country’s deadliest nightlife blazes in years.
The fire broke out around midnight at the Na Ladprao pub, with 63 people injured, some critically. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, speaking at the scene, said several of the injured had been hospitalized and that the cause remained under investigation. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the blaze spread rapidly, filling the venue with thick smoke as patrons scrambled to escape. Firefighters brought the fire under control within about half an hour.
A musician who had been performing at the pub told the prime minister he saw smoke coming from a circuit breaker near the stage before the power cut out, followed by an explosion and a rapid buildup of thick smoke throughout the venue. Footage shared by first responders showed flames and heavy smoke pouring from the pub’s entrance as people fled into the street.
The disaster has revived concerns over fire safety enforcement at entertainment venues in Thailand, which has suffered similar tragedies before. A 2022 fire at a music pub in eastern Thailand killed 14 people, while 66 people died in a fire at Bangkok’s Santika nightclub during a New Year’s Eve celebration in 2009, a blaze blamed on an indoor fireworks display.
