A fierce inferno swept through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar in Bangkok's Chatuchak district on Sunday, killing at least 28 people and leaving dozens injured, authorities confirmed on Monday. The blaze erupted while Thai indie band Thotsakan was performing for a packed audience.
Ice Athipat Wijarn, the band's manager, described seeing smoke emerge from behind the keyboardist on stage. Within seconds, the keyboardist, Kwang, shouted for everyone to flee as the fire rapidly engulfed the bar.
Survivors recounted a chaotic scene of panic and desperation. Ice Athipat Wijarn described fumbling with the door in the smoke-filled room, recalling how "Everybody was running, squeezing into each other." He managed to escape by crawling towards the exit, but was thrown out when something exploded inside.
"The sight of my girlfriend's body being carried out, the sight of my friend who was burned in the fire and everything that happened are still etched in my mind," he told Thai talk show Hone-Krasae, with comments reported by Agence France-Presse.
Among the fatalities were Kwang, the band's keyboardist, along with Thotsakan's female singer Breeze and drummer Bew, who succumbed to their injuries. A fifth band member, Din, was reported missing but later located on Monday evening, though his condition remains unclear.
Thotsakan's lead singer, Tik Chaichana, narrowly escaped unharmed as he had stepped away to use the bathroom moments before the fire broke out. Videos circulating online showed him in distress as he fled the burning building. "I'm safe, thank you everyone for your concern. But my phone and all my belongings burned… My mind is truly not okay right now," Tik wrote on Facebook.
Footage from the scene showed panicked patrons screaming as they fled the flaming front door, some with their clothes alight. "There was a boom – a very fast boom … There was no way to get out at all," said 41-year-old Usa Tadsree, who lost two friends in the fire, in comments reported by Reuters.
Witnesses also described desperate, futile attempts to reach trapped friends. "I heard people screaming. I wanted to go help my brother but I can't get in," Kaewudon Pongpanee told Reuters, describing the scene as filled with "smoke, dust, heat."
Authorities confirmed that at least 71 people were injured, with 25 of them in critical condition. Residents living near the bar expressed shock at the scale of the blaze. Titi Liewcha, who lives across the street, described seeing firefighters working everywhere and ambulances filling the area, leaving him stunned.
Sirinya, another nearby resident, initially feared the fire would spread to her home. She noted that it was the first time she had witnessed such a major fire. Phatsara Khamloet, who had visited the pub in May, recalled the interior being "very dark, with a low ceiling" and described the layout as "maze-like," with unclear fire escape routes and poorly marked exits.
Phatsara recounted navigating a "winding route" to the bathroom and expressed her immediate concern about fire safety upon entering. "The moment I stepped in, my first feeling was, 'Whoa, if there's a fire, how would we even get out?'" she said.
Bangkok governor Chatchart Sittipunt suggested on Monday that flammable decorations on the bar's ceiling might have contributed to the fire's rapid spread. He also noted reports of people found unconscious near the emergency exit, indicating potential obstructions, though he stressed that a full investigation was necessary to confirm these details.
The tragedy has intensified calls for improved fire safety standards and staff training in the nightlife industry. One driver working near the bar suggested that venue owners should conduct regular fire drills and design exits with greater width to facilitate easier customer escape. "I feel sorry for the people who died. I feel sorry for them because they probably had no idea what was happening," he added.
"Or when it comes to designing a place like this, the doors should be designed with more width in mind. Make them wider, make it easier for customers to escape," he says.
Md. Kazi Bijoy is a dedicated tech enthusiast and content creator with a passion for digital innovation. With years of experience in the tech industry, he specializes in breaking down complex topics into easy-to-understand guides. When he isn’t writing, he explores the latest gadgets and researches emerging trends in the digital world.