'I felt the heat and the burn': How the deadly Bangkok bar fire unfolded

'I felt the heat and the burn': How the deadly Bangkok bar fire unfolded The devastating blaze at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar in Bangkok's Chatuchak district is the deadliest fire in Thailand since 2009. First, the lights went out, followed by the smell of smoke. Moments later, an explosion ripped through a packed live music venue in Thailand and a fire began spreading rapidly, sending panicked patrons scrambling for the exits. The devastating inferno at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar in Bangkok that broke out overnight into Monday (Jul 13) claimed at least 27 lives and left dozens more injured, some in critical condition. It is 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. Footage of the incident shared on social media showed thick smoke billowing out of the single-storey building before an intense horizontal plume of fire jets out of the doorway. Shoes were lost and scattered as their owners fled, with phones and other belongings left behind and even clumps of hair seen on the pavement. "Everybody was running, squeezing into each other," recalled Athipat "Ice" Wijarn, whose band Tosakan was on stage when the fire started around 11pm local time (12am Singapore time) on Sunday. After the power went out, the band noticed smoke coming from the electrical circuit on the wall behind them, he told Thai talk show Hone-Krasae on Monday. "There was an explosion, and I got hit at the back of my head. I felt the heat and the burn," he said, recounting the moment he crawled towards the exit. "SMOKE WAS EVERYWHERE" Firefighter Chakrit Khongkom, 45, said he arrived on the first fire truck to see the bar alight and many patrons stranded inside, several trying to escape from the back of the venue. The few people coming through the front of the venue were burnt. "The smoke was everywhere," he said. "Most of the survivors were choking on smoke." Body-camera footage from an emergency worker seen by Reuters showed firefighters in oxygen masks moving through the darkened remains of the beer hall with torches as they searched for survivors and victims. Several people could be seen lying on the floor near the bar's toilets while rescue workers brought in stretchers. "We sent in a rescue and search squad and found that a lot of people were inside the toilet. Most of them were trying to escape to the back because they saw that the flame was at the front," said Chakrit. Bangkok city officials said it was about half an hour until firefighters brought the fire under control. By daylight, the site had been cordoned off as dozens of Thai forensic officers combed through the burned remains for clues about what sparked the blaze. The building’s street-facing windows had been blown out and debris littered the sidewalk, including charred television sets, speakers and an electric guitar. From outside, the scale of the devastation was visible through the shattered windows, where burned-out tables, some still holding empty beer bottles, stood inside. The director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said that an initial assessment points to an electrical short circuit in an air conditioner located in the ceiling. Based on survivor accounts, officials said the fire is understood to have started at the front stage section of the bar and spread rapidly. This forced many to run to the back of the venue, which houses the kitchen and the bathrooms. "The fire spread very quickly, reaching up to the ceiling. Smoke was likely the main cause of death," Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters. Thai national police chief Kittharath Punpetch said most of the dead were found trapped in windowless bathrooms near one of the rear exits of the bar, where they may have sheltered to escape the flames in the hall. He said the exit had not been used, and people may have been obstructed from reaching it by a table set up in the hall to sell candy, or because it was too dark to find it. Access to another exit near the kitchen might also have been narrowed by shelving units and lockers, said Kittharath. There were signs that at least some of the exit doors might have been locked shut, he added. "I SAW MANY DEATHS" Laotian tourist Kan Kutirat, who was in the bar at the time, told AFP he "heard loud screaming from a lot of people inside - chaos happened". "I never experienced anything like this before," he told AFP. "The images are still stuck in my mind." Motorbike taxi driver Surin Jaiharn said he saw the fire burst into the street from the bar door. He helped about five people fleeing with burnt and blistering skin, while another driver carried a victim away from the danger. "I feel depressed. I saw many deaths and I do not know the fate of the people I helped," Surin, 45, told AFP. A survivor said the fire spread so rapidly that there was no way to get out at all. "The people who managed to get out were already outside and they ran to the outer zone. The people who were inside couldn't get out, because we didn't know where the fire exit was," Usa Tadsree, 40, told Reuters. "I went out with friends, there were about five of us. Two died and two survived, along with me, because we went out to smoke a cigarette. Right after we went out to smoke, within a second, we looked at the wall and saw there was smoke ... Before we could even get anywhere, it was like something was pushed out, and there was a boom - a very fast boom. We didn't have time to think, didn't have time to do anything at all." VICTIMS UNACCOUNTED FOR Ten of the victims have been identified so far, nine of them Thai nationals and one from Laos. However, identifying all the victims was proving to be a challenge as many were either not carrying identification or were still unconscious in hospital. Relatives and friends, anxious to learn the fates of their loved ones, earlier gathered around a table set up by officials to collect information regarding the victims. In the hours after the fire, Sukanya Wongwongwai waited outside the bar, looking for a missing friend. Survivors had told her about the chaos that had ensued inside. "My friend, who was singing on stage, said at first they noticed the smell of something burning, then a little after they saw the ceiling was on fire," said the 32-year-old. "Some people were injured because of the (debris) from the ceiling because it seems that the ceiling was made out of foam material to absorb sound." Athipat wrote on Tosakan's Facebook page to urge the public not to share unverified information as "a miracle might happen". The band's keyboardist, Kwang, and its singer, Breeze, both died. Athipat said Breeze, his girlfriend, "did not suffer any burn wounds. It looked like she was just sleeping". Tosakan's drummer, Bew, is in critical condition at the hospital while the band's other singer, Din, remains missing. INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE As Thai police officers and forensic investigators continue to work to determine the exact cause behind the incident, family and friends are still grappling with loss and searching for answers. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has pledged that victims and their families will "receive the best possible care". Senior justice ministry official Triyarith Temahivong pledged 300,000 baht (US$9,000) for the family of each deceased victim and up to 80,000 baht for actual medical costs for each injured person. The Chatuchak District Office of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is also working to provide financial relief for those affected by the bar fire. Anutin told reporters at City Hall that initial inquiries suggest there were "blind spots" without a visible fire escape route. Thai police are looking into whether the fire safety exits and the rear exit of the bar were locked, and if there were unauthorised or illegal renovations that had occurred inside the building. This includes the construction of a possible extension to the performance stage, which may have also obstructed people who were trying to get out as the fire spread rapidly. Anutin urged everyone to wait for the investigators' report, but added: "There will be no leniency if any laws have been broken." Additional reporting by Jack Board.