More than two dozen people were killed when a fire broke out at a bar in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, late Sunday night, spreading quickly and apparently sending patrons fleeing into the bathrooms at the back of the venue, where they died, officials said.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul of Thailand told reporters early Monday that the blaze appeared to begin somewhere near the stage in the bar where a band had been playing.
“Smoke filled the air, and people ran. Most of the victims ran into the restrooms at the back of the building, which didn’t have clear fire escape doors,” he said, noting that this was based on an initial assessment.
Citing musicians who had been performing at the venue, Mr. Anutin said that smoke had come from a circuit breaker before the power went out. Then there was an explosion and flames spread quickly.
Two of the musicians were among at least 27 victims of the fire.
The location of the victims’ bodies has raised questions about the venue’s layout and its safety precautions. The Bangkok governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, said that there may have been a table blocking one of the fire exits.
He said there would be an inquiry into the venue’s compliance with legal requirements, including permitting, and said that the owner was apparently among those injured in the blaze. Mr. Chadchart said a contact center would be established for the victims and their relatives.
The pub, on its Facebook page, bills itself as “the only brewery in Ladprao,” which is a busy commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern part of the sprawling city.
Mr. Chadchart said that, based on plastic chairs and tables in the venue that were still intact after the fire, it seemed the flames spread quickly along the ceiling. He did not state a cause for the fire, saying that a forensic investigation was underway.
The fire, which spread quickly and filled the room, limited visibility, according to witnesses. It was extinguished in less than an hour, local news media reported. About 18 people with injuries were taken to nearby hospitals.
With more than 30 million international visitors a year, Bangkok was the world’s most visited city last year, according to Euromonitor International, a data firm. The city is know for fun, spice and sun, but it also has a reputation for danger because of generally low safety standards.
A string of fires at Bangkok nightclubs has raised concerns about lax enforcement of building codes and safety measures. In 2009, nearly 70 people, including foreign revelers, died at a fire at the Santika club on New Year’s. Investigators later determined that the building did not have enough working emergency exits nor was firefighting equipment adequate.
In August 2022, about 20 people died from a fire at a nightclub in Chonburi Province, southeast of Bangkok. The club was found to have been swathed in flammable material used for soundproofing and lacked proper licenses.
Hannah Beech contributed reporting.
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