Bangkok bar fire kills 27, officials say emergency exits were obstructed

BANGKOK: An explosive fire at a bar in Thailand's capital Bangkok killed 27 people and injured dozens more, officials said on Monday (Jul 13), after obstructed emergency exits hindered patrons choking on smoke from escaping the burning venue.

One video of the incident posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed thick smoke billowing out of the pub, before an intense horizontal plume of fire jets out of a doorway, as screaming customers fled the premises around midnight on Sunday (1am, Monday, Singapore time).

"We have recovered 27 bodies, others are being sent to hospital," said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the site early on Monday.

Another 63 people were injured, 22 critically, in the incident at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub and have been hospitalised, said Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

The pub is located in a busy part of northern Bangkok connected by its urban rail systems, adjacent to two shopping malls and within walking distance of cinemas, large parks and the Chatuchak weekend market that is popular with foreign tourists.

The initial assessment was that an electrical short circuit in an air conditioner located in the ceiling caused the fire, the disaster administration said.

Based on survivor accounts, officials said the fire is understood to have started at the front stage section of the pub and spread rapidly, forcing many to run to the back of the venue, which houses the kitchen and the bathrooms.

"There are two fire exits, one is near the kitchen. There were beer crates in the way," Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters, adding that there was a table in the way of the other fire exit, hindering evacuation.

"We need to wait for forensic investigators to examine the scene more closely," he added.

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

He shared a video on Facebook, verified by AFP, that showed patrons - several with their shirts ablaze - fleeing into the street as flames surged out the door.

Kan said he was drinking alone at the bar at around 10pm on Sunday when he noticed smoke rising near the stage.

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

He said he helped carry a woman out of the bar.

On his post, he added: "I could only get one person out. I tried my best. I'm sorry."

SMOKE, THEN AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE

Firefighter Chakrit Khongkom, 45, said he arrived on the first fire truck to see the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub alight and many patrons stranded inside, several of them trying to escape from the back of the venue. 

The few people coming through the front of the venue were burnt.

"The smoke was everywhere," he said. "Most of the survivors were choking on smoke."

Body-camera footage from an emergency worker seen by Reuters showed firefighters in oxygen masks moving through the darkened remains of the pub with torches as they searched for survivors and victims.

Several victims can be seen lying prone on the floor near the pub's toilets while rescue workers carry in stretchers.

The video also shows what appears to be the fire-damaged main room of the venue, with bar tables and stools still visible.

"We sent in a rescue and search squad and found that a lot of people were inside the toilet. Most of them were trying to escape to the back because they saw that the flame was at the front," said Chakrit.

In the early hours of the morning, emergency personnel remained at the scene as bodies were prepared for transport and forensic teams collected evidence to help identify the victims.

Numbered bodies lay in two rows awaiting removal, surrounded by a large number of rescue workers. Firefighters stood near the pub's entrance, its facade scorched and blackened by the blaze.

In the hours after the fire, Sukanya Wongwongwai waited outside the pub, looking for a friend who is missing. Survivors had told her about the chaos that had ensued inside.

"My friend, who was singing on stage, said at first they noticed the smell of something burning, then a little after they saw the ceiling was on fire," said Sukanya, 32.

"Some people were injured because of the (debris) from the ceiling because it seems that the ceiling was made out of foam material to absorb sound."

A band member at the venue told local media that smoke suddenly filled the room after the lights briefly went out, followed by a massive explosion and fire.

"After the explosion I didn't see anybody trying to run, most of them were on the floor asking for help," he told reporters, his head still bandaged, without giving his name.

"I ran towards the door from the stage, about five metres. It was dark and there was smoke, no oxygen."