"At first, we only noticed a burnt smell. We thought it was a minor electrical issue. A few seconds later, the lights went out, we heard an explosion, and the entire ceiling started burning." This is how one of the musicians performing on the stage at the Na Ladprao pub reconstructed the first moments of the tragedy. While the band was playing to a packed venue, smoke began spreading across the ceiling, and in just a few moments, the concert turned into chaos. This popular live music establishment, located in northern Bangkok, was engulfed by a thick black cloud that turned the premises into a death trap from which dozens of people would not escape. At least 28 people have died, and dozens are injured.
"The smoke was everywhere. Most people were suffocating." Firefighter Chakrit Khongkom, one of the first to enter the building, told local television stations that rescue teams could barely advance when they arrived at the burning venue in the early hours of Monday. "We found many people in the bathrooms. They ran to the back because the flames were in front."
Thai media have published footage from firefighters' body cameras, showing completely dark corridors, piles of debris, and bodies lying near the bathrooms.
"My friend was singing on stage. They first noticed a burnt smell, and shortly after, they saw the ceiling starting to burn," recounted a survivor, Sukanya Wongwongwai, who mentioned that several people were injured when fragments of the false ceiling fell on the audience. Investigators are now analyzing whether the insulating foam used to soundproof the venue acted as fuel and accelerated the fire's spread.
"I had never experienced anything like it," said Laotian tourist Kan Kutirat. "People were screaming everywhere. I tried to go back in, but I couldn't breathe anymore." Hours later, he posted a message on Facebook that went viral in Thailand: "I could only save one person. I did everything I could. I'm sorry". His testimony encapsulates the desperation of those who tried to help as the pub turned into a death trap.
The survivors' accounts paint a picture of a tragedy that began shortly after midnight on Sunday when the venue was full of customers, and a band was performing on stage. Smoke started coming out of an electrical panel next to the musicians. Moments later, there was a power cut, followed by an explosion. In just a few seconds, flames began advancing through the ceiling as a black cloud rapidly descended to cover the entire room.
Footage recorded by rescue teams shows a massive burst of fire coming out of the main entrance as survivors stagger out of the building, many completely disoriented. Firefighters managed to control the fire in approximately half an hour, but when they finally accessed the interior, they encountered a devastating scene: blackened walls, charred tables and chairs, and dozens of bodies concentrated at the back of the establishment.
According to authorities, the fire started at the front of the venue, next to the stage. Upon discovering that the main exit was engulfed in flames, many customers instinctively fled towards the kitchen and bathrooms, convinced they would find another escape route. There, they became trapped.
Blocked emergency exit
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed that an emergency exit was partially blocked by beer crates, and another by furniture from the establishment itself. Most of those who died did so from smoke inhalation before the flames even reached them, a pattern that specialists consider common in fires in enclosed spaces where toxic smoke accumulates rapidly.
Investigators also suspect that the extraordinary speed at which the fire spread was related to the presence of highly flammable materials installed in the false ceiling to enhance the venue's acoustics. The governor himself pointed out that many plastic tables and chairs remained relatively intact, indicating that the fire primarily spread through the upper part while smoke quickly descended towards the customers.
The tragedy has once again highlighted a problem that Thailand has been facing for decades. Bangkok welcomes tens of millions of tourists each year and boasts one of the most vibrant nightlife scenes in Asia, but frequent fires in entertainment venues continue to expose the same deficiencies: inadequate inspections, blocked emergency exits, irregular licenses, and flammable materials used to soundproof enclosed spaces.
The Na Ladprao fire now reignites the same debate that Thailand seems doomed to repeat after every major tragedy. While forensic experts try to determine the exact cause of the fire, the questions remain the same: why were the evacuation routes still blocked, who should have detected the irregularities, and how many more lives will have to be lost before inspections stop arriving, once again, when the smoke has already cleared.