A fire that killed 27 people and injured 63 others at a Bangkok bar early Monday has become an investigation into whether blocked and bolted emergency exits trapped customers inside, after officials found obstructions at both escape routes in the building. The blaze broke out shortly before midnight Sunday at Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, also known locally as Na Ladprao, a restaurant and live music venue on Soi Lat Phrao 1 Road in the capital’s Chatuchak district. Firefighters brought the fire under control within about 35 minutes, but by then thick smoke had filled the single-story building, trapping many customers near the rear exits and restrooms.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is also interior minister, and Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt visited the scene overnight as rescue crews worked to identify the dead. Anutin said the fire is believed to have started at a circuit breaker near the stage, based on accounts from musicians who were performing at the time. The power went out, followed by an explosion and a rapid spread of smoke, he said. Most of the 27 people killed died from smoke inhalation, according to the prime minister. The dead included nine men and 18 women. Of the 63 injured, 22 remained in critical condition Monday, with patients spread across 16 hospitals around the city.
Chadchart said the fire spread quickly through decorative materials on the ceiling, and that toxic smoke released by the burning decor likely overwhelmed many victims before they could escape. He ordered a family coordination center set up to help relatives locate missing people and identify the dead. Investigators are now examining the building’s compliance with fire codes, along with its exits, exit signage and any obstructions that may have blocked evacuation during the blaze.
According to several news sources, officials found that one rear exit was blocked by a table set up to sell snacks to customers, narrowing the opening to a single-file path. A firefighter examining the second rear exit found it bolted shut from the outside, prompting the national police chief to say investigators are determining whether the door had been deliberately locked, which he said would be treated as reckless if confirmed. Most bodies were recovered near these two exits and inside the adjoining restrooms.
The venue held valid permits for food service, alcohol sales and live entertainment, and district officials had inspected the property in April without flagging major violations, authorities said. Despite that record, the Chatuchak district office ordered the business closed for an initial 30 days on Monday, and the district chief said the operating license could be permanently revoked if forensic examiners confirm the exits were locked or rendered unusable at the time of the fire. Forensic and chemical experts began a detailed inspection of the site at 9 a.m. Monday.
The disaster is Thailand’s deadliest nightlife fire since the 2009 Santika nightclub blaze in Bangkok, which killed roughly 66 people during a New Year’s Eve party after pyrotechnics ignited flammable decorations. It also follows a smaller fire on July 1 at an unlicensed bar in Pattaya’s Chon Buri province that killed one worker after inspectors found the venue had no operating permit and no fire exit, according to several news sources. In 2022, a fire tied to a locked rear door and flammable soundproofing at the Mountain B nightclub, also in Chon Buri, eventually killed 25 people as injured victims later died of their wounds, according to Bangkok Post reporting.
Officials have not announced a nationwide inspection order in response to the Lat Phrao fire, though the tragedy has renewed scrutiny of safety enforcement at entertainment venues across the country. Authorities said the results of the forensic and structural review will determine whether anyone connected to the venue faces criminal charges.
