Bangkok pub fire kills 27, injures 63 in suspected electrical blaze

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said 27 people died after fire tore through the Na Ladprao pub in northern Bangkok, and 63 people were injured, with several taken to hospital. The blaze was reported around midnight on Sunday and was brought under control early Monday morning after firefighters took about half an hour to contain it.

Anutin said a musician performing at the pub told him smoke was seen coming from a circuit breaker near the stage before the power went out, then an explosion was heard and thick smoke quickly filled the venue. Footage shared online by first responders showed a huge blaze raging and plumes coming from the front door as crews worked to reach people inside.

Many of the dead were found in the restrooms at the back of the pub, a detail that has raised immediate questions about exits, crowd movement and whether patrons had any viable route out once the fire spread. The cause remains under investigation, but the scene has already renewed scrutiny of Thailand’s fire-safety record, including whether wiring, occupancy limits and escape routes are being enforced tightly enough in crowded nightlife venues.

The disaster recalls Bangkok’s deadliest similar nightlife fire, the Santika Club blaze in Ekkamai, Watthana, on Jan. 1, 2009. That fire killed 67 people and injured 222 during a New Year’s celebration, a toll that still hangs over the city’s entertainment districts and now frames the latest inquiry into what failed inside Na Ladprao pub.