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Thai authorities reported on July 13 that a fire at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district had killed at least 27 people while leaving 22 others in critical condition in one of the deadliest such incidents to strike the capital’s entertainment venues in recent years. The blaze broke out late on July 12 shortly before midnight as a band performed on stage and spread within moments after an apparent electrical fault at a cut-out switch according to the prime minister who visited the scene. Firefighters reached the venue at 00:02 local time and brought the flames under control in about 30 minutes but discovered most of the bodies in the rear toilets where victims had sought refuge from the smoke and heat.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told journalists that he had spoken with a musician performing at the time of the fire. “He said that there was a fire at the cut-out switch and after that things happened very quickly. There was blasting and everybody tried to flee from the smoke and flames. Many of them were not able to make their way out because they went to the back of the building and tried to hide themselves from the smoke and flames in the toilet and that’s where we found most of the bodies.” Reuters reported that the death toll and critical injuries made the event one of the worst of its kind in the tourism hub in recent memory.
A passing driver who spotted the fire around 23:30 local time stopped to break windows and help two people escape according to accounts shared with Thai media outlets. Unverified footage from the scene showed flames blasting from the front door as one woman fell before regaining her footing to flee. The interior of the popular entertainment venue and restaurant stood completely charred with its ceiling peeling away once the fire was extinguished according to images circulated by local news organizations.
The Associated Press reported that dozens more sustained injuries with at least 18 people transferred to nearby hospitals for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation. The New York Times stated that two musicians from the band onstage numbered among the dead as the flames overtook the performance area without warning. Thai media including Thairath reported that several people remained unaccounted for as recovery operations continued at the site.
Reuters and The Guardian both described the fire as among the deadliest to hit Bangkok’s nightlife scene in recent years a distinction that echoes the 2009 Santika Club blaze in the same city which killed 66 people according to official tallies from that period. A 2025 nightclub fire in North Macedonia that killed 59 and injured more than 150 drew similar scrutiny over overcrowding and safety compliance according to international coverage of that incident. Thai officials have launched an investigation into the cause and whether the pub met fire safety standards including the number of emergency exits and functional suppression systems.
The Ruamkatanyu Foundation which operates a volunteer emergency rescue service placed the preliminary death count above 27 at the scene according to statements carried by The Guardian. Prime Minister Charnvirakul has instructed authorities to conduct a thorough probe while pledging inspections of comparable venues across Bangkok to address any systemic risks. Hospitals continued to treat the critically injured as the full toll from the overnight disaster became clearer on Monday.
