Bangkok — A fire tore through Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, a popular restaurant with live music in northern Bangkok early hours of Monday, 13 July 2026, killing 27 people and injuring 63 others, 22 of them critical, Thai authorities said.
The blaze broke out around midnight at the entertainment place in the capital's Chatuchak district, and according to witnesses, it started from the stage where live music was on show, .
By the time rescuers arrived, the fire had already burned through much of the venue, officials said. Firefighters took about 35 minutes to bring the flames under control.
"Twenty-seven bodies were moved out, lifeless bodies," Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters at the scene, adding that some of the injured had been taken to hospitals for treatment. He said many of the victims were found in restrooms at the back of the pub.
PM Anutin said a musician performing at the venue told him he saw smoke coming from a circuit breaker near the stage moments before the power went out, followed by an explosion and thick smoke that quickly filled the building. However, PM Anutin said the cause of the fire still under investigation.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said 22 of the 63 injured were in critical condition. Footages shared by first responders show flames and thick black smoke billowing from the restaurant's front entrance as people tried to flee.
Anwut Pho-ampai of the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, a volunteer emergency rescue service, said the death toll stood at more than 27 as recovery efforts continued.
Photos of the aftermath show charred tables and chairs and a gutted interior. Authorities have not disclosed the nationalities of those who were killed or injured in the fatal incident.
The fire ranks among Thailand's deadliest in recent years. In 2022, 14 people died in a fire at a music pub in eastern Thailand. In January 2009, 66 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire at the Santika nightclub in Bangkok during New Year's Eve celebrations.***
