“I have never experienced anything like this. The images are still etched in my mind.” For Laotian tourist Kan Kutirat, the horror happened in just minutes when flames and thick smoke engulfed a packed bar in Bangkok.
He managed to get a woman to safety, later writing on Facebook: “I could only get one person out. I did my best. I’m sorry.”A devastating fire broke out at Rong Pir Na Lat Phrao, a popular live music venue in the Chatuchak district, shortly before midnight on Sunday. The fire moved with terrifying speed, killing 27 people and injuring more than 60 others. Officials said many victims were trapped in the back of the venue after emergency exits were closed.Eyewitnesses described frantic attempts to escape as smoke filled the room. Many of them died after becoming trapped near the bathrooms while trying to escape the suffocating fumes. Emergency crews rushed to the scene, but the rapid spread of the fire left the beneficiaries little time to escape.The fire broke out shortly before midnight. The authorities said that the fire spread quickly in the place, leaving customers little time to escape.
Several victims died after becoming trapped near the bar’s bathrooms while trying to escape the choking smoke.
An initial assessment by the Bangkok Disaster Management Department indicated that the fire may have been caused by an electrical short in the air conditioner installed in the ceiling. However, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said musicians at the venue described “smoke coming from a circuit breaker near the stage, followed by a power outage and an explosion.”Based on survivor accounts, officials said the fire started near the front stage area before quickly spreading through the venue. Many people moved towards the back where the kitchen and bathrooms were located.“Most of the victims ran back to the toilets, which have no exit. This may have been due to panic because there was fire and smoke,” Anutin told reporters.According to Reuters, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sitipunt said beer crates and tables blocked some fire exits, hampering evacuation efforts.
Firefighters later found several victims lying near the pub’s toilets.Firefighter Chakrit Khongkum, one of the first responders at the scene, said smoke, not fire, was the deadliest threat.“There was smoke everywhere,” he said. “Most of the survivors were suffocating on smoke.”Body camera footage showed firefighters wearing oxygen masks moving through the smoke-filled building while rescue workers carried stretchers inside.
Many victims were found lying on the floor near the toilets, while the main hall damaged by the fire still contained tables and chairs.Videos showed thick black smoke billowing from the bar before flames burst through the entrance as customers screamed and ran into the street around midnight.Surin Jayharn, a motorcycle taxi driver, who rushed to help people escape, said he saw flames breaking through the entrance and found victims with severe burns.“I feel depressed. I saw many deaths and I don’t know the fate of the people I helped,” Sorin told AFP. He said he used clothes to extinguish the flames on the victims while another driver transported an injured woman away from the burning building.Inside, survivors remember noticing the first signs that something was wrong moments before the fire spread. Sukanya Wongongwai, who was waiting outside the bar searching for a missing friend, told Reuters: “My friend who was singing on stage said at first they noticed the smell of something burning and then a little while later they saw the ceiling on fire.”She added, “Some people were injured by (debris) from the ceiling because the ceiling appears to be made of foam material to absorb sound.”He said he was drinking alone when he noticed smoke rising near the stage. “I’ve never encountered anything like this before,” he said. “The images are still stuck in my mind,” Can Cotierat said.Video clips showed shepherds fleeing into the street, while a number of people were running while their clothes caught fire.The live music venue had a stage, two bars, a kitchen that could seat more than 300 people and four fire escapes, according to its Facebook page. Investigators are examining whether all exits were accessible at the time of the fire and whether blocked escape routes contributed to the high death toll.
