Blocked Door, People On Fire: Witnesses Recount Bangkok Club Blaze Horror

At least 27 people were killed and 22 others critically injured in a massive fire that tore through a bar in Bangkok, marking the deadliest such incident in Thailand for almost two decades. The fire started near the stage of the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant in the popular Chatuchak district, before spreading rapidly and engulfing the room with smoke, eyewitnesses said. 

Footage posted on social media showed panicked customers -- some with their clothes and hair on fire --  screaming as they fled through the flame-enveloped front door of the bar.

🚨A fire tore through the Na Ladprao pub in northern Bangkok around midnight Sunday, killing at least 27 people and injuring 63, 22 of them critically, officials said pic.twitter.com/IVNPKAL0i7

— Backchod Indian (@IndianBackchod) July 13, 2026

Another unverifiable footage, from inside the club, showed massive flames and a plume of thick black smoke filling the space within seconds as people pushed through the exits in panic. 

Survivor video from this morning's Bangkok brewery fire.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙞 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙨
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𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙮 & 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜
📸 @DigitalaGoGoBKK pic.twitter.com/Uaiu4nyQcR

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"The fire spread very quickly, reaching up to the ceiling. Smoke was likely the main cause of death," Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters at the scene. He said 27 people were killed and 63 were hospitalised with injuries, including 22 in critical condition, adding that authorities had launched an investigation.

It was the deadliest fire in Thailand in over two decades.

'The Blocked Exit'

According to the governor, a number of the victims were found near a fire exit that authorities believe may have been blocked.

Bangkok's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that a musician who was performing at the bar told him that he saw smoke coming out of a circuit breaker near the stage before the power went out, then an explosion was heard and thick smoke quickly filled the place.

"Most of the victims ran to the back, to toilets with no exit. It could be because of panic, because there was fire and smoke," the premier told reporters.

Motorbike taxi driver Surin Jaiharn, an eyewitness, said he saw the fire burst into the street from the bar door and helped about five people fleeing with burnt and blistering skin.

"I feel depressed. I saw many deaths, and I do not know the fate of the people I helped," the 45-year-old told news agency AFP.

He said he used clothes to put out flames on their bodies while another driver carried a female victim away from the danger.

Laotian tourist Kan Kutirat told AFP he "heard loud screaming from a lot of people inside -- chaos happened".

"I never experienced anything like this before," he told AFP. "The images are still stuck in my mind."

Singer Sukanya Wongwongwai, who was performing nearby, told Associated Press that when she heard news of the fire, she rushed to the scene because several of her bandmates were performing at the bar. She said one of them died, three were hospitalised, and one hasn't been located.

"From what I heard from people who were inside, when the fire started, everything went dark. The power was out, and there was smoke everywhere, so they couldn't locate other people," she said.

'Blind Spots'

The venue has a stage, two bars, and a kitchen, with a total capacity of more than 300 people, as well as four fire exits, according to a Facebook post promoting a live show this month. But initial inquiries suggested there were "blind spots" without a visible fire escape route, according to the Prime Minister. 

Charnvirakul, who earlier visited the scene, said the venue was licensed to operate as a restaurant, adding that police were looking at its inspection record. He assured the victims and their families they would "receive the best possible care".

The PM also urged everyone to wait for the investigators' report but added, "There will be no leniency if any laws have been broken."

Suriyachai Rawiwan, head of Bangkok's disaster prevention department, said emergency services arrived within five minutes of being called, but the fire had already spread.

"When we went in to search, we found tables and seating blocking the way everywhere and the heat was intense," Suriyachai told AFP.

A video showed several body bags on the ground early Monday morning outside the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant. A few hours later, forensic police began combing their way through the devastated venue.

Multiple bodies can be seen covered and laid out following the devastating fire at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub in Bangkok, Thailand. pic.twitter.com/b38gN8ImzQ

— Black Rebel (@RealBlackRebel_) July 13, 2026

Authorities have so far identified just 10 of the victims, nine of them Thai nationals and the other from Laos.

Thailand's Bar Safety Concerns

Thailand's approach to health and safety regulations -- particularly in its bars and nightclubs -- has long raised concerns.

Most recently, 25 people died after a fire ripped through the Mountain B nightclub in Thailand's eastern Chonburi province in 2022.
Over a decade before that, 66 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire during a January 1, 2009 New Year's Eve celebration at the Santika nightclub in Thailand's capital. That blaze was apparently sparked by an indoor fireworks display.