Bangkok bar fire death toll rises to 30 as police probe possible negligence

Thailand authorities say that 24 people remain in critical condition in hospital after the blaze at a pub.

The death toll from a fire that tore through a music bar in Thailand’s capital has risen to 30, as the governor of Bangkok promised stricter inspections and police investigate possible negligence and safety lapses.

Thai officials said on Tuesday that 24 people remained in critical condition in hospital, and dozens of others who were treated had been discharged.

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Firefighters took half an hour to bring the blaze at Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar, in the city’s Chatuchak area, under control late on Sunday.

Police investigating the cause of the fire are probing whether the bar management followed safety regulations.

“We’ve set up a committee to investigate the truth, what should be improved and what rules should be changed,” Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told a news conference on Tuesday.

“We will do more random checks.”

Authorities say an electrical short circuit in a ceiling air conditioner could have triggered the fire in the ‌pub, which underwent a safety inspection in April.

Royal Thai Police chief Kittharath Punpetch said the single-story bar had four exits, but police were examining whether the two rear exits were blocked or unusable.

One exit near the restrooms, where most of the victims were found, had a table blocking the way, while another near the kitchen had a damaged exit sign and a sliding door missing its handle, Kittharath said.

Police are also investigating whether gas canisters were stored in the kitchen and whether they contributed to the blaze, Kittharath added.

Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said a musician performing at the bar told him he saw smoke coming from a circuit breaker near the stage before the power went out. An explosion was then heard, and thick smoke quickly filled the bar.

Lee Young Ju, a fire safety professor at South Korea’s Kyungil University, said the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault, possibly involving audio or lighting equipment or faulty wiring, sparking a blaze that quickly spread across the ceiling.

Former patrons and mourners visited the site on Tuesday to leave flowers and condolence messages on the guardrails cordoning off the bar.