Thailand probes Bangkok bar fire that killed 28 people

In this handout photo released by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the interior of a beer bar is seen after a fire in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 13, 2026.

| Photo Credit: AP

Investigators combed through the wreckage on Monday (July 13, 2026) of a huge fire at a Bangkok bar that killed at least 28 people, as relatives began the grim task of identifying the dead.

More than 70 people were injured following the blaze on Sunday evening (July 12, 2026) on the outskirts of the Thai capital, officials said, the country’s worst such incident for almost two decades.

Flames ripped through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant and burst out of the entrance, sending people fleeing, several with their clothing burnt or ablaze.

“Everybody was running, squeezing into each other,” recalled Athipat “Ice” Wijarn, whose bandmates were on stage when the fire broke out around 11 p.m. (1600 GMT) Sunday (July 12, 2026).

The lights went out and he noticed smoke come from the circuit board behind them, he told the Thai talk show Hone-Krasae. As he crawled towards the exit, he said, “there was an explosion, and I got hit at the back of my head.” The keyboardist, Kwang, and the band’s singer, Breeze, both died.

No lights

The bodies of the victims were taken away early on Monday morning (July 13, 2026), before forensic police began picking their way through the devastated venue.

“The fire spread very quickly, reaching up to the ceiling. Smoke was likely the main cause of death,” Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters at the scene.

It was the deadliest fire in Thailand since a blaze tore through Bangkok’s Santika club during New Year celebrations in 2009, killing 67 people and injuring more than 200.

National police chief Kitrat Panphet said his investigators were hoping to speak to the owner of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, who is currently in intensive care.

“Most of the people who died were found in the toilets. When the fire broke out, they panicked. There were no lights,” he told reporters.

Police are examining if the exit doors were accessible, he said, noting that one was obstructed by a shelf, meaning only one person at a time could pass through. They are also looking at the electrical wiring in the 50-year-old building and whether any decorations may have fuelled the fire, he said.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who earlier visited the scene, said initial enquiries suggested there were “blind spots” without a visible fire escape route.

He urged everyone to wait for the official findings but added, “There will be no leniency if any laws have been broken.”

Published - July 13, 2026 10:23 pm IST