In the early hours of Monday, a massive out-of-control fire tore through a popular pub in northern Bangkok, leaving at least 27 people dead and multiple others injured, Thai officials confirmed. Emergency responders were alerted to the blaze at the Na Ladprao pub shortly after midnight, according to rescue authorities.
Graphic footage shared publicly by first responders captures the full scale of the disaster: towering orange flames roar from the venue’s front entrance, sending thick, toxic plumes of black smoke billowing into the night sky, while panicked patrons scramble to escape the rapidly spreading inferno.
It took firefighting crews approximately 30 minutes to fully contain the blaze and secure the site. Post-fire images from the scene reveal a gutted interior, with charred furniture, blackened walls, and extensive structural damage throughout the venue.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul traveled to the disaster site shortly after the fire was contained to speak with reporters and coordinate response efforts. He confirmed the death toll of 27, noting that multiple injured victims have been transported to nearby hospitals for urgent medical care. As of Monday, the exact cause of the fire remains under official investigation.
The Prime Minister shared preliminary details from an on-site witness: a musician who was performing on stage during the fire told investigators he first noticed smoke emanating from a circuit breaker positioned near the stage moments before the venue lost all power. Seconds later, an explosion rang out, and dense smoke rapidly filled every section of the pub, trapping dozens of people inside.
Anutin added that most of the fatalities were recovered from the pub’s rear restrooms, where many people had fled in a desperate attempt to escape the smoke and flames.
This tragedy marks the latest in a series of deadly venue fires in Thailand that have raised ongoing questions about public safety and fire code enforcement in the country. In 2022, a fire at another music pub in eastern Thailand killed 14 people. The deadliest such incident in modern Thai history dates back to New Year’s Eve 2009, when an indoor fireworks display sparked a massive blaze at Bangkok’s Santika nightclub, killing 66 people and injuring more than 200 others.