Tracing three deadly pub fires from Santika to Mountain B and Lat Phrao

A fire broke out at Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao at 11.57pm on July 12, 2026, killing 27 people and injuring 63.

The disaster in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district has revived a question raised after the Santika Pub and Mountain B fires: why can crowded entertainment venues still become deadly traps when flames and smoke spread?

The blaze broke out inside the single-storey concrete building at 17 Soi Lat Phrao 1, Lat Phrao Road, in Chom Phon subdistrict.

The premises, which had a metal-sheet roof, operated as a restaurant and entertainment venue.

Firefighters brought the fire under control within about 35 minutes, but the ceiling was destroyed, and about 164 square metres of the premises were damaged.

Officials initially suspected an electrical short circuit in an air-conditioning unit above the ceiling.

That remained a preliminary hypothesis, however, as investigators continued to examine the structure, electrical system and point of origin, as well as the fire alarm, emergency doors, evacuation routes and whether the premises complied with building and operating requirements.

The 27 fatalities comprised nine men and 18 women.

A preliminary breakdown said 25 people died at the scene and two in the hospital.

Of the 63 injured, 21 were men and 26 women, while the sex of 16 had not been recorded; 22 were in critical condition.

The injured were taken to 16 hospitals.

Rajavithi Hospital and Phyathai Phaholyothin Hospital each received 11 patients, while ViMUT Hospital received nine.

The remaining patients were distributed among other medical facilities according to urgency and clinical need.

The bodies were sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Police General Hospital for identification.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration set up a support and coordination centre for relatives.

At the same time, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt ordered detailed checks of the venue’s operating licence, authorised use of the building and fire-escape standards.

The prime minister also ordered an urgent inquiry into the cause and whether any person or agency bore responsibility.

Preliminary accounts said smoke spread rapidly after the electricity failed.

Many victims were reported to have been found near the toilets and escape routes at the rear, where confusion may have led some customers into a dead end rather than towards a usable exit.

These details had not established whether the venue’s alarms, exits or evacuation arrangements failed, and investigators had not reached a conclusion.

Even before the inquiry is complete, the fire has brought back memories of Santika Pub and Mountain B.

Both disasters exposed serious weaknesses involving flammable materials, emergency exits, fire-protection systems, building controls and law enforcement.

The Santika Pub fire broke out during New Year celebrations spanning December 31, 2008 and January 1, 2009, in Ekkamai, Bangkok’s Watthana district.

More than 1,000 people were reported to be inside, although the building was said to accommodate only about 400 to 500.

Sparks from pyrotechnics or stage effects near the front of the stage were reported to have ignited decorations and sound-absorbing foam in the ceiling, allowing flames and toxic smoke to spread quickly.

The venue had one main customer entrance.

Other exits were small, intended for staff, poorly marked, unavailable or closed, while some patrons mistakenly entered toilets believing they were escape routes. The building also lacked sufficiently effective sprinklers, smoke detectors, alarms, emergency lighting and exit signs.

Reported figures put the death toll at 67 and the number injured at more than 220.

Supreme Court judgments found Wisuk Setsawat, and a person with management authority at the time, guilty of negligence causing death and injury.

The ruling cited inadequate emergency and escape arrangements at a crowded enclosed venue where pyrotechnics were used.

He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, with no suspension.

The Santika case showed that venue operators could not rely on ignorance of obvious risks when basic safety measures had been neglected.

The disaster also prompted prosecutions and changes to rules governing buildings, fire-resistant materials and fire-protection systems. Still, the later Mountain B fire showed that similar hazards had not disappeared.

The Mountain B fire began at about 1am on August 5, 2022, in the Sattahip district, Chon Buri.

Preliminary accounts pointed to sparks near the ceiling, possibly caused by an electrical short circuit in the stage electrical system.

The fire reached sound-absorbing foam beneath the roof and spread through the venue in no more than five minutes, filling it with dense black smoke.

The building had been modified unlawfully and used flammable material across the ceiling.

Side and rear fire doors were reported locked, leaving the front as the main route out.

Customers crowded towards the exit, and some were unable to escape in time.

The fire killed 26 people and injured about 50.

Pattaya Provincial Court convicted four defendants on March 18, 2025, of negligence causing death, as well as offences related to unauthorised construction and operating an entertainment venue without permission.

The first defendant, known as “Sia B”, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison and fined 133,000 baht.

His wife, the second defendant, and his father, the third defendant known as “Sia Yot”, each received 10 years and 10 months and a fine of 266,000 baht.

The fourth defendant, an electrician, received five years and one month and a fine of 125,000 baht.

The court also ordered the defendants to pay compensation to injured people and bereaved families, with some awards ranging from more than 2 million baht to more than 5 million baht.

All four applied for bail as they prepared to appeal.

The building has since been demolished, leaving an overgrown site and the memories of those who lost relatives.

Santika and Mountain B shared several critical features: fire spread from or near the ceiling, flammable materials accelerated combustion, smoke rapidly reduced visibility and many customers could not reach exits in time.

Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao has raised similar questions, but it remains too early to conclude that the latest fire involved the same failings.

The suspected electrical short circuit still requires forensic confirmation.

The investigation must therefore establish not only where the fire began, but whether the building and business were properly authorised, whether escape routes were sufficient for the number of customers, whether emergency doors could be opened and used, whether alarms and firefighting equipment were complete and functional, and when the venue last passed an inspection.

An electrical fault may explain how a fire started, but the scale of death and injury may also reflect the effectiveness of prevention systems, management and law enforcement.

Those questions must be examined separately and openly.

Thailand lost 67 people at Santika, and another 26 at Mountain B.

Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao has now added 27 deaths to that record of loss.

The question is no longer whether the country has enough laws or lessons, but who will ensure those lessons are applied before another fire begins, and how many more lives must be lost before the same tragedy is no longer allowed to recur.

Source: Posttoday