BANGKOK, Aug. 6 (BNA) – 14 people were killed and dozens were seriously injured when a fire broke out early Friday morning in a crowded music bar in eastern Thailand, police and rescue workers said. At least ten survivors were in critical condition.
Videos on social media showed thick black smoke and then flames rising from the front entrance as people were trying to flee, some of whom had their clothes on fire. Police said the fire was reported around 12:45 a.m., the Associated Press reports.
The Mountain B bar in Sattahip district of Chonburi province, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Bangkok, was lined with flammable soundproofing, and it took firefighters two hours to put out the fire, Manoop Theprith of a special emergency rescue service group told BTV News. BTV Thai. His group said 40 people were injured.
Several witnesses described seeing smoke and fire on the ceiling near the platform, followed by explosions.
Police, rescuers and the Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital said 13 people died at the scene and another person died with burns over 90% of his body later.
The hospital said 15 patients required intubation, and most had third-degree burns on more than 60% of their bodies. Two patients were taken to a hospital in Bangkok for advanced treatment.
“All patients are considered to be in critical condition,” said Capt. Anocha Lyketvung, head of the hospital’s medical team. “In the medical sense, the situation for patients with this degree of burn can change sharply in the next 48 hours.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Major General Atasit Kijjahan, regional police chief, said. He said the bar owner and staff were giving statements to the police and that investigators were collecting evidence.
“The fire started in the upper right corner of the platform,” a witness identified only as Nana told PPTV. “The singer must have seen it too, so he shouted ‘fire’ and threw the microphone away.”
“I am so shocked. But I am lucky because when I saw the fire, I was able to gather myself and get out of there,” she said, adding that she saw several dressed bar bouncers on fire.
The waitress, Thanapat Sorensuanhiran, told Thai TV reporters that she saw smoke near the platform.
“I yelled ‘fire’ to the customers, and I was near the doors, so I pointed them outside. I kept screaming ‘fire, fire’ and the security guards were also helping to get people out.”
A DJ in the bar who did not identify himself told PPTV that the fire spread quickly, within about a minute, when he heard an explosion smashing windows.
Police chief Tahsit said the club has three entrances: at the front, at the side for unloading goods, and at the back. Thai public television station TPBS reported that the back door was often closed.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has urged business operators and officials to ensure safety measures are in place at entertainment venues across the country, particularly in areas with large numbers of tourists arriving after the easing of coronavirus control measures.
On January 1, 2009, 66 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in a fire during a New Year’s Eve celebration at the Santika nightclub in Bangkok. This fire started in the ceiling above the stage, and its spark seemed to be due to a fireworks display inside. Poisonous smoke flooded the place and contributed to the death toll as the entire club caught fire.