Bangkok pub fire death toll reaches 32 as investigators probe blocked exits and illegal concert permit

What happened

A fire engulfed the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub in Bangkok's northern Chatuchak district close to midnight on Sunday, 12 July. Witnesses described an explosion followed by a horizontal burst of flame and thick black smoke that filled the single-storey venue within moments. Firefighters needed roughly half an hour to bring the blaze under control. The pub sits at a busy intersection near train stations and two shopping malls and was crowded with weekend customers watching live music when the fire broke out.

The death toll has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries at the Police Hospital on Wednesday, 15 July. A separate district office count cited by Le Parisien and De Morgen puts the toll at 33. The Erawan Emergency Medical Centre reported 30 people still hospitalised, 15 of them in intensive care, while 44 have been discharged. Thai PBS identified 17 women and 8 men among the dead; nationalities have not yet been released.

Even though the fire from these three incidents occurred in different locations, at different times and might have different causes, the pattern was very similar: multiple deaths in a crowded building, the fire spreading rapidly either in the stage area or in the ceiling, thick smoke cutting visibility and preventing people from finding the exits, and people dying from toxic inhalation, not directly from the fire.

How the fire spread

Investigators believe an electrical short circuit in a ceiling air conditioner probably ignited the fire. Combustible acoustic foam on the ceiling and highly flammable decorative materials on the stage caught instantly, producing extreme heat, toxic smoke and jets of flame that roared out through the front entrance as fresh oxygen fed the blaze. The fire erupted near the front of the venue, blocking the main exit toward the street.

Patrons who could not reach the front door fled toward the rear of the pub, where many bodies were later found near the toilets. The small, windowless toilet area trapped smoke and toxic gases. Two rear exits existed, but one was obstructed by boxes and shelving and the other was locked, according to local press reports cited by CBC. Emergency exit signs were not illuminated after the power failed.

Escape routes blocked

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited the scene and was shown a video by his office in which a rescuer explained that two doors were functional, but one was reserved for staff and carried no indication it could be used as an emergency exit. The prime minister concluded patrons did not know it was a fire exit.

That means people did not know it was an emergency exit.

A rescuer replied that the configuration may have been intended to prevent customers from leaving without paying. The pub had undergone a safety inspection as recently as April, yet the fire still proved catastrophic.

Government response

Prime Minister Anutin ordered inspections of all nightclubs and entertainment venues nationwide within 30 days. Authorities will review fire-protection systems, emergency exits, visitor-capacity limits and compliance with safety regulations. Venues with serious deficiencies face temporary closure. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will also re-examine regulations governing construction and decorative materials permitted in entertainment venues and restaurants.

The government will review licensing rules after it emerged that Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao apparently lacked a permit to host concerts. The prime minister said businesses that do not follow the rules cannot operate and the owner must answer for his actions. The pub owner was admitted to intensive care after the fire.

Shops that do not comply with the rules cannot exist and the owner of this establishment must answer for his actions.

A recurring tragedy

This is the deadliest Bangkok nightclub fire in 17 years. In 2009, a blaze at the Santika Club during a New Year celebration killed 67 people and injured more than 200. In 2022, a fire at the Mountain B music pub in Sattahip killed 26 people. After each tragedy, experts repeated calls for stricter enforcement of fire-resistant soundproofing, wider outward-opening exits and illuminated backup signage. Sprinkler systems became mandatory in 2012 for larger venues, yet Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai of the Asian Institute of Technology told the BBC he finds himself repeating the same warnings.