Bangkok - A patron who narrowly escaped a devastating late-night blaze in a popular Bangkok bar said she stepped outside for a cigarette and returned seconds later to a scene she described as impossible to flee. The fire, which tore through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao venue at about midnight, left at least 27 dead and more than 70 people hurt, many critically.
"There was a boom - a very fast boom ... There was no way to get out at all," said 41-year-old Usa Tadsree, describing how she left the bar moments before the flames consumed the interior. She said two friends who had been with her died in the inferno. Sitting on the street as emergency teams recovered a friend, Usa watched rescue workers carry out a body she said they had been happily drinking and listening to music with shortly before the fire. She said the body was covered by a white cloth.
"I lost my mind," she said. "It looked like she was asleep."
The blaze is being called one of the worst in recent Thai history and has prompted comparisons to a separate New Year’s Eve fire in Switzerland that killed 40 young partygoers. Thai authorities have opened investigations focused on several potential failings as they work to establish the precise chain of events that allowed the fire to spread so rapidly.
Initial cause and safety concerns under review
The city’s disaster administration said its preliminary examination suggested an electrical short circuit in a ceiling air conditioner may have ignited the blaze. Police investigators have said they are examining evidence that could indicate obstructed or inadequate emergency exits, overloaded wiring and the use of flammable materials inside the venue.
Witnesses and some survivors reported that a horizontal jet of fire erupted from a doorway as patrons scrambled to escape, raising urgent questions about how quickly the flames moved and whether building safety measures were in place and functional at the time.
Victims and family reactions
Friends and relatives gathered at the Institute of Forensic Medicine on Monday as bodies were brought in for identification. Among those searching for loved ones was 41-year-old Jansuda Tanla, who called on anyone who had seen her son in hospitals to come forward. Her son, Din, 27, was a singer in a Thai pop rock band and had been performing at the bar when the blaze began, she said. She described how Din, who had not completed vocational school, turned to singing and had helped her financially.
Musician colleagues confirmed casualties among performers. The band’s keyboard player, Kwang, was identified as dead by a fellow musician, Sakhon "M" Meeplian, who described Kwang as a hard-working person who performed to support his family. "As a musician, I am very shocked," Sakhon said, urging venue operators to ensure multiple exits are available. "Musicians play to earn money for their families, none of us wanted to suffer losses like this."
A taxi driver named Li and his partner also died. Nid, the mother of Li’s partner, was at the forensic institute to help with identifications and recalled that Li used to help drive students for free. "Li was very nice," she said.
Workers and migrants among the dead
Several of the victims had come to Bangkok from other provinces to find work and had been employed as waiters at the bar. A 21-year-old migrant from neighboring Laos, Pongpaset Pongpanee, worked alongside his brother Kaewudon Pongpanee. Kaewudon, 24, described trying to fight the flames with a fire extinguisher as he heard people screaming and searched for his younger brother, who became trapped. "I wanted to go help my brother but I can’t get in," Kaewudon said. "There was smoke, dust, heat."
Another young worker, 23-year-old Sittipong Chaiyo from Ubon Ratchathani province, had been in Bangkok for only a month and was listed among the dead. His sister, Kanyawan Bunruangthong, said family members went to check after seeing news of the fire and were told he suffocated. "My mom is very sad," she said. "It shouldn’t have happened."
Ongoing inquiries and next steps
Police and municipal authorities continue to investigate. Alongside electrical causes, the probe is exploring whether safety exits were blocked or insufficient, if wiring was overloaded and whether flammable materials contributed to the rapid spread. The scale of the casualties and the large number of injured individuals have left authorities and families grappling with the fallout as identifications proceed and hospitals treat dozens of patients.
The emotional impact on relatives and colleagues has been immediate and intense. Many of those who died were earning money for families and performing or working to make ends meet in the capital. As forensic identifications continue and investigators gather physical evidence from the scene, officials will be tasked with determining how and why the fire became so deadly and whether regulatory or enforcement lapses played a role.
For now, the city remains focused on recovering the deceased, treating the injured and piecing together the circumstances that led to one of the most lethal nightlife fires in recent memory.