Three days after a devastating fire swept through a popular Bangkok beer bar, leaving at least 32 dead and dozens more fighting for their lives, survivors and grieving relatives gathered at a local police station on Wednesday to give official witness statements, recover left-behind personal belongings, and push for long-overdue financial compensation. The inferno broke out late Sunday night at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao venue, a crowded nightlife spot in the Thai capital, according to updates from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Officials confirm that 70+ people were injured in the blaze, with 24 still clinging to life in critical condition in local hospitals, while the official investigation into the exact cause of the fire remains ongoing.
Thai police have revealed that most victims were found trapped in windowless bathrooms, spaces many fled to in a desperate bid to escape the spreading flames and toxic smoke. Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, head of the country’s Institute of Forensic Medicine, told reporters Wednesday that the vast majority of fatalities were caused by smoke inhalation, with only a small number of deaths resulting directly from severe burn injuries.
For 26-year-old Natthaphong Lakhorn, the horror of that night remains vivid. He was at the venue with four companions, seated near the main stage, when the first signs of the blaze emerged. He told reporters he initially spotted thick white smoke billowing from the stage area, and mistakenly assumed it was just a planned dry ice effect for an upcoming performance — before quickly realizing the venue was engulfed in an uncontrolled fire. “When the fire broke, I just ran, and then all power went out,” Natthaphong recalled, speaking from the Phahonyothin Police Station where he was giving his formal statement. He shared that one of his companions, a close relative, did not escape the blaze. “It was so hectic.” Natthaphong, who suffered burns to his ears and forehead that were still covered in bandages during his Wednesday visit, said he plans to file for compensation to cover his ongoing medical costs.
His account of the escape also contradicts an earlier police claim that the venue’s back door was not used by evacuees: Natthaphong said he escaped through that exact exit, located near the bathrooms, where a security guard was already on site using a flashlight to guide panicked guests to safety.
The police station walls were lined with photos of personal items — mobile phones, bags, wallets and other belongings — left behind by guests during the chaotic evacuation, as relatives came to claim the possessions of their lost loved ones. For 25-year-old Kanticha Singkhon, Wednesday’s trip was to collect her mother’s handbag and other effects; her mother was among those killed in the fire. With her mother’s passing, Kanticha is now the sole guardian for her younger brother, and she has criticized bar owners for failing to proactively reach out to grieving families to support them through the aftermath.
“Most of the victim’s families are from out of town, many would have already had to travel back to their hometowns to arrange funeral services,” Kanticha explained. “I want bar owners to be the ones to reach out to families, rather than forcing us to come all the way here to the police station on our own.” A lawyer representing the bar owners has told local Thai media that an initial one-off compensation payment of 10,000 Thai baht — equal to roughly 300 U.S. dollars — will be offered to all affected families and survivors. But Kanticha says that sum falls far short of what is needed, and that she has yet to receive any communication or financial support from the venue’s owners. “That amount isn’t even enough to cover a funeral,” she said. “I had to take out a loan just to arrange my mom’s burial, and I haven’t heard anything from anyone at the bar.”