Pub fire investigators focus on poorly maintained exits

27 dead, 71 injured, others still unaccounted for

Police investigating the deadly Na Ladprao beer hall fire are looking into whether the exits were properly marked, positioned and maintained after disoriented, trapped customers died in the thick smoke and flames that blacked out the pub.

National police chief Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch said at the fire scene in Chatuchak district on Monday the Rong Beer Na Ladprao beer hall was in a rectangular one-storey building. It faced onto Lat Phrao Road and there were twin doors.

At the back, there were two exits. One was near the toilets, where rescuers found the bodies of many dead customers.

Pol Gen Kittharath said the fire caused an electrical blackout. Disoriented customers quite possibly went through the wrong door, entering the toilets and becoming trapped instead of safely exiting the building.

“Police are checking if this exit was locked. If it was, that would be considered reckless,” the national police chief said.

The other rear exit was through the kitchen. The fire melted the exit signs there, and the lights, and the door knob was missing. Police would determine if the knob had been destroyed in the fire, or already been broken, Pol Gen Kittharath said.

He said there was an adjacent passage, about one metre wide, but it was partially blocked by lockers and shelves that narrowed it down so just one person at a time could use it.

“The obstructing objects show negligence in their preparations to cope with emergencies,” the national police chief said. (Story continues below)

Forensic police examine the fire scene on Monday. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration confirmed on Monday afternoon that the fire killed 27 people and injured 71 others, 22 of whom were in serious condition. There were also complaints that about 45 people believed on the premises were still unaccounted for.

Deputy Bangkok police chief Pol Maj Gen Panlop Aeromla said the pub owner was among those injured in the blaze, was in a hospital intensive care unit and could not be questioned at this time.

The bodies of those confirmed killed in the fire were taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police General Hospital in Pathumwan district. Grieving relatives could complete formalities there for their identification and release for funeral rites.

The Chatuchak district office on Monday posted an order closing down the fire blackened beer hall for an initial 30 days.

Assistant district chief Anurat Krueacha-aim said the building was licensed and the pub had permits for the sale of food, alcohol and musical entertainment.

City Hall engineers would examine the burnt building's structural integrity, to see if it remains safe, he said.