Fire at Chatuchak beer house kills 30

[mauRICE]

The cause of the fire is yet unknown but it was massive and spread very quickly. People were trapped in the restrooms. There are some very disturbing videos of the fire while it was still raging on Thai social media and you can hear the sound of people screaming. I've not shared them here out of respect for the victims. While it hasn't been confirmed, initial reports from survivors suggest that there weren't any fire extinguishers on the premises. The lack of fire safety measures at many of these old-style venues is shocking. Is anyone going to take responsibility for the death of these 30 people?

Remember the Santika Pub fire in Ekkamai in 2009 which engulfed 67 lives? The case dragged on for years and after various palms were greased, two of the owners received three-year jail sentences, mere slaps on the wrists. They're now free men.

https://today.line.me/th/v3/article/YaKoYXj

[mauRICE]

Latest reports indicate that at least 27 people had been killed and 63 injured.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/12/fire-engulfs-popular-bangkok-pub-killing-27-people-and-injuring-63

[Keithambrose]

10 minutes ago, mauRICE said:

Latest reports indicate that at least 27 people had been killed.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/12/fire-engulfs-popular-bangkok-pub-killing-27-people-and-injuring-63

And quite a few missing.

[mauRICE]

Most detailed report I've read thus far.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/bangkok-bar-fire-27-killed-rong-beer-na-lat-phrao-6249566

[vinapu]

sadly , kind of typical. Fire suddenly breaks out and exits are closed or obstructed.

Whenever I pass by DJ Station I say to myself " why you never went there ?" 

[PeterRS2]

Bar and nightclub fires are just too common in this country, leading one to believe that the authorities are far too lax in their oversight. I remember well the time of the ghastly fire at the Santika Nightclub in 2009. There has also been the more recent Mountain B nightclub fire near Satahip in August 2022 in which I believe 25 died. There was only one exit as the back entry to the club was found to be locked.

I used to visit DJ Station in my younger years - and enjoyed it. But then I came to my senses and remembered the extremely narrow alley that leads on to Suriwong. I realised that a fire in that club would inevitably kill dozens in the rush to the main street. For there were also other businesses operating in that soi. I have not been back.

[mauRICE]

Three major fire-related tragedies at nightlife venues with more than 120 dead in 17 years. They never learn or perhaps they just don't care. Life is cheap in the Land of Smiles. The circumstances preventing last night's victims from escaping could have been easily avoided. Read on.

https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/from-santika-to-lat-phrao-bangkok-pub-fire-thailand-nightclub-tragedies

[PeterRS2]

Flammable material is often cited in dreadful fires like all so far mentioned. It reminds me that in the UK all materials used in a theatre stage - scenery, costumes, props etc. - have to pass fire inspections every time before a show can open. This involves taking a piece of, say, cloth scenery and setting it alight to ensure it will not burn. An officer from the fire department is always in attendance.

[Moses]

50 minutes ago, PeterRS2 said:

Flammable material is often cited in dreadful fires like all so far mentioned. It reminds me that in the UK all materials used in a theatre stage - scenery, costumes, props etc. - have to pass fire inspections every time before a show can open. This involves taking a piece of, say, cloth scenery and setting it alight to ensure it will not burn. An officer from the fire department is always in attendance.

2022, London, Clapham Common?

[spoon]

Interesting to see same news but now with very different title

[jamiebee]

Yeah, I even read some post citing "brewery" 

[mauRICE]

It's a translation thing although whether the shop was registered as a restaurant, pub or discotheque would have legal implications on its opening hours, capacity, etc. For example, having it registered as a restaurant would allow it to remain open till the wee hours, I think. I believe the venue that burned down last night was registered as a restaurant even though it had a capacity to sit 1200 people and the layout looked more like a large pub to me.

Its the TiT way of getting around the more restrictive rules applicable to pubs, bars and discotheques. I'm too lazy to look up the details now but during the Santika fire hearings these terms were discussed extensively. I remember being amused at the way the system inherently provided mechanisms and enough room for it to be abused without anyone losing face or risk going to jail, as long as the appropriate palms were greased.

Latest reports indicate that last night's venue only had four, very narrow emergency exits that weren't clearly signposted and many of the patrons had mistaken the restrooms for exits in the noise and smoke and ended up suffocating to death. Over the years I've noticed that emergency exits at some of these nightlife venues were locked to prevent patrons from running off without paying. TiT.

[daydreamer]

Although not a nightlife facility, the Royal Jomtien Hotel had a ghastly fire in 1997 in which 91 people died.

As in many cases in Thailand, the fire exits were locked to prevent customers from leaving without paying.  The fire started on the ground floor, and rose up through the building.  Many hotel guests were trapped above the fire in the high rise hotel.  The fire burned for more than 10 hours, and was very challenging to extinguish, due to the height of the structure.  

I remember seeing the broken windows on upper floors and the smoke stained building facade in the summer of 1997.  The hotel is located on the corner of Beach Road, diagonally across from the Jomtien police box, and very close to Jomtien Complex.  

After the fire, the hotel was renovated, and today is open as the Jomtien Palm Beach Hotel.

 

 

[PeterRS2]

17 hours ago, Moses said:

2022, London, Clapham Common?

And what is this about? On April 9 there was a pub fire. 60 escaped before the fire crews arrived and no one died. The fire was assumed to have been caused by an indoor firework.

In 2023 there was a spate of fires deliberately set by teenagers but no deaths. There was also an alleged fire which resulted in a tube train being stopped at Clapham Common station and chaos as passengers tried to escape. But there was no fire. The smoke had been caused by the train's brakes.

https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/2022/april/nightclub-fire-clapham-common/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/05/passengers-smash-windows-to-escape-tube-amid-fire-alert

The last major fire in London was the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster which killed 72 people.

[Travelingguy]

I have been to a few places over the years where I get a feeling of being trapped.  I look around and realize that I am trapped if something happens.  I listen to my gut and leave.

[PeterRS2]

14 minutes ago, Travelingguy said:

I have been to a few places over the years where I get a feeling of being trapped.  I look around and realize that I am trapped if something happens.  I listen to my gut and leave.

Unless I can clearly read emergency exit signage in a relatively dark space which, on checking, is unlocked, I also leave. Even with unlocked emergency exits, though, I never know what might be blocking the other side.

[Kiwi306]

I would love to go to Beef Bangkok on the 9th floor of Silom Edge, but I think that could also be a fire risk, given that it supposedly can get very crowded.

[vinapu]

6 hours ago, Kiwi306 said:

I would love to go to Beef Bangkok on the 9th floor of Silom Edge, but I think that could also be a fire risk, given that it supposedly can get very crowded.

just go,  you can always leave when feeling trapped. 

I generally avoid crowded places , even when it's open space and it's what  keeps me from coming for Songkran or attending various parades with tons of spectators. It's why soi 4 was never  my 'to go ' place. It's why I advise everybody to rise early and go to Grand Palace first thing in the morning.   But even I have soft , crowded,  spot - European railway stations.

[bkkmfj2648]

12 hours ago, daydreamer said:

After the fire, the hotel was renovated, and today is open as the Jomtien Palm Beach Hotel.

Yikes - that news gave me the spooks.

Now in 2026, in the side lobby within the Jomtien Palm Beach Hotel is the The Wave bowling alley where the Jomtien Pride Bowling Competition will take place on Tuesday July 28, 2026.

 

After forming my team we have been over to the bowling alley 1 time so far to practice.  

I am happy to say that the bowling alley has an exit right next to the parking area - so easy exit - just in case....

 

[mauRICE]

Oh dear. Twenty-eight people have now died from this terrible tragedy with many more badly injured and I wonder if this is the right place for advertising  Supertown Jomtien Pride activities when there's plenty of room for that elsewhere in this forum.

I started this sombre thread to share information about the fire, for us to reflect on the fire safety measures of the various venues that we patronise and perhaps even remember the more than 120 lives who have perished in the three major pub fires in Thailand in the last 17 years. They are somebody's child, father or mother, brother or sister, not bowling pins.

[daydreamer]

4 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

I am happy to say that the bowling alley has an exit right next to the parking area - so easy exit - just in case....

Just check to make sure the exit door is unlocked.

[mauRICE]

3 hours ago, mauRICE said:

...and perhaps even remember the more than 120 lives who have perished in the three major pub fires in Thailand in the last 17 years. They are somebody's child, father or mother, brother or sister - not bowling pins.

From The Thaiger official Facebook page.

Grief in Lat Phrao fire as couple who died leave behind two young children, husband remembered as a kind-hearted free-ride driver

The human cost of the Lat Phrao beer hall fire has grown even more heartbreaking, with the confirmation that a young married couple died in the blaze, leaving behind two small children, aged 4 and 5, now in the care of their grandmother.

On 13 July, at the Police General Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine, a woman named Nid came to formally identify the bodies of her daughter, known as Ice, and her son-in-law, known as Lee. Through her tears, she said she was now raising her two young grandchildren and did not know how the family would go on, having lost both the daughter and son-in-law who were its main breadwinners.

She described her son-in-law as a hardworking man. Besides his government job, he drove for the Bolt ride-hailing app to earn extra income, and often gave free rides to patients, people with disabilities, schoolchildren, pregnant women and the elderly, simply to help others. Her daughter had recently qualified as a teacher and was working as a computer teacher at a commerce school.

It later emerged that the husband ran a TikTok account called "Bolt Saai Praang," where he shared content about his ride-hailing work. With more than 146,000 followers and over 3.2 million likes, his profile noted that he offered free rides to organ donors, people with disabilities, pregnant women and students.

After news of the couple's deaths spread, many of his followers flooded his page with tributes, remembering him as a selfless man who had quietly done good for his community.

Our deepest condolences go out to the family, and to the two little ones who have lost their parents. 🖤

[Keithambrose]

7 hours ago, mauRICE said:

Oh dear. Twenty-eight people have now died from this terrible tragedy with many more badly injured and I wonder if this is the right place for advertising  Supertown Jomtien Pride activities when there's plenty of room for that elsewhere in this forum.

I started this sombre thread to share information about the fire, for us to reflect on the fire safety measures of the various venues that we patronise and perhaps even remember the more than 120 lives who have perished in the three major pub fires in Thailand in the last 17 years. They are somebody's child, father or mother, brother or sister, not bowling pins.

Well said. There is the usual outpouring  from the authorities,  about clamp down, more regulations  and the like, but we all know it won't happen, and there will be another catastrophe. Mind you, if it can happen in Switzerland,  it could happen anywhere.

[PeterRS2]

7 hours ago, mauRICE said:

The human cost of the Lat Phrao beer hall fire has grown even more heartbreaking

This is all so horrible. I wonder if there will be any fund established to help those who are now suffering so badly, especially the children.

7 hours ago, daydreamer said:

Just check to make sure the exit door is unlocked.

I'd suggest several more checks have to be made before anyone steps inside such an establishment. Lit and clearly visible Exit signs over every exit. Unlocked exit doors with no obstructions inside. The argument against this has always been that it will enable people to enter without paying the entrance fee. But all over the world there are exit door opening outwards that cannot be opened from the outside!

Clear pathways away from the premises outside each exit. A reasonable number of visibly installed fire extinguishers. No flammable materials installed either permanently or temporarily. In the recent case, it seems that after the initial spark, the stage decor materials brought in for the band's performance immediately ignited and spread extremely fast. Similarly only non flammable materials installed for the venue's own decor. Temporary electrical switches and wiring checked by some responsible authority.

As @Keithambrose points out, nothing will happen because Thai people will put this out of their minds in a few weeks. Instead, there should be a major demonstration outside the BMA headquarters demanding that new fire prevention rules are mandated for pubs and clubs, and then inspected before the licence to operate is handed over.

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, PeterRS2 said:

demanding that new fire prevention rules are mandated for pubs and clubs, and then inspected before the licence to operate is handed over.

rules probably are there already for long time , it's  implementation , follow up and inspection which is lacking and neglected