Thai authorities suspect negligence after a fatal blaze at a Bangkok bar left 30 people dead. Reporters describe gates locked and emergency signage missing.
The fire originated near the stage, according to police, and spread rapidly through flammable decorations. Police General Kittiratt Phanphet called the site a "lack of caution and disregard for safety."
Survivors found that many victims were trapped in the bar’s back restrooms, where locked doors prevented escape. A fire safety expert explained that emergency signage would have helped people recognize and unlock the doors.
Investigations suggest the blaze was triggered by a short‑circuit in the bar’s air condition system, cutting power and creating a tinder‑rich environment. The stage was decorated with plastic flowers and the ceiling was coated in combustible foam, turning the venue into a suicide weapon for fire.
Authorities classified the establishment as a "restaurant with live music," not an entertainment venue, meaning it was not required to use fire‑retardant materials. The Metropolitan Administration has begun a regulatory review of materials allowed in such venues.
The bar’s owner previously operated a pub destroyed by a daytime fire in 2019, which caused no casualties, no fate watched by mourners in night‑time tragedies.
Post‑incident, curfew traffic was reinforced, and rescue teams focused on soot inhalation treatment for the wounded.
With reporting by Nongnapat Patcham and Panisa Aemocha in Bangkok.
