BANGKOK — At least 27 people were killed and 63 others were injured, eight of them critically, by a massive fire at a pub in Bangkok, late Sunday night.
The fire started near the stage of the pub in the popular Chatuchak district 11.57 pm, then spread rapidly, cutting power and engulfing the room with smoke, when many customers were inside, eyewitnesses said.
Footage posted online show panicked customers screaming as they fled – some with their clothes on fire – through the flame-enveloped front door of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao.
Firefighters, who arrived at the scene just after midnight, quickly extinguished the fire. They found the bodies of most of the victims in a bathroom, where they had apparently sought shelter.
Preliminary investigations by Bangkok’s disaster mitigation department suggest the fire could have been caused by an electrical short circuit in an air conditioner, though no official cause has been given.
Authorities have promised a thorough investigation.
This is not the first time such an incident has occured in Thailand. Despite official promises to improve fire and electrical safety standards following previous incidents, they are still often poorly enforced.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the scene early on Monday, said a musician who was performing when the fire broke out told him it started at a circuit breaker on the stage,followed by a blackout and an explosion. “There was blasting and everybody tried to flee from the smoke and flames,” the musician was quoted as saying.
Many people did not make it out of the pub because they “went to the back of the building and tried to hide themselves… in the toilet”, the musician said, according to Anutin, who is also the interior minister.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the pub was licensed, operated in a single-story concrete building and musical performances were allowed inside. It had passed inspection in April.
Chadchart quoted waiters as saying there were about 300 customers inside when the fire broke out. Normally, the pub attracted 600 to 700 people each night.
According to the governor, the fire spread through the ceiling toward the front entrance. That prompted customers to rush to the back of the premises where there were fire exits. Some customers became confused in the smoke and rushed into the toilets instead. Many victims had passed out in the toilets and also in front of the fire exits, blocking the escape route for other fleeing customers.
Firefighters, who were alerted to the blaze by a passing driver, were reportedly able to bring the flames under control in about half an hour.
However, despite their efforts, nine men and 18 women were killed, while more than 60 are now being treated in hospital, including eight who are suffering from critical injuries.
Initial findings suggest that majority of the victims had died from smoke inhalation, said Suriyachai Raviwan, the director of Bangkok’s disaster mitigation department.
Chatchart said the flammable interior decorations on the bar’s ceiling may have facilitated the blaze’s rapid spread.
Authorities say these suggestions can only be confirmed through further investigation by forensic officers.
One motorcyclist, Surin Jaiharn, told AFP that he helped about five people flee the site, using clothing to extinguish flames on their bodies.
“I feel depressed. I saw many deaths and I do not know the fate of the people I helped,” he told AFP.
The driver who alerted the fire department told the news outlet Daily News that he broke windows to help two people escape.
As of Monday morning, the pub has been cordoned off, with shattered windows and furniture piled up outside its entrance. Confronting pictures have emerged of many body bags lined up outside the pub.
Inside, the furniture, walls and ceiling are completely blackened, with parts of the ceiling peeled off.
The identification of the victims was continuing.
Source: Saudi Gazette