Bangkok fire kills 27, investigators probe locked exits and blocked escape routes
Investigators found beer crates, drink boxes and a sweets table blocking escape routes at a Bangkok bar fire that killed 27 and injured 63.
Investigators in Bangkok found beer crates or drink boxes near one emergency exit and a sweets table blocking another at Rong Beer Na LadPhrao, where a late-night fire killed at least 27 people and injured 63, including 22 in critical condition. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the objects obstructed two emergency escape routes. Officials are examining whether the crowded venue in Chatuchak district near Lat Phrao Soi 1 had been left vulnerable to a fast-moving blaze.
The fire broke out at about 11:57 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, 2026, and firefighters brought it under control at about 12:32 a.m. Monday. A first-arriving firefighter said thick smoke filled the building, and survivors described a chaotic escape in which the fire cut off access to the front entrance, pushing customers toward the rear. Many of the dead were found near toilets and emergency routes at the back of the venue.
Survivors also said there was no audible fire alarm, though authorities have not yet confirmed whether any alarm system functioned. Investigators initially focused on a possible electrical fault near the stage or ceiling, and a preliminary inspection found a circuit breaker that failed to cut the electrical supply when the fault occurred. Investigators are examining whether the disaster was triggered by a technical failure and compounded by unsafe conditions inside the venue.
A 2022 blaze at a music bar in eastern Thailand killed 14 people, and Bangkok’s Santika nightclub fire in 2009 killed 66 and injured more than 200.
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