Thirty dead, 75 injured, of which 24 remain critical. This is the aftermath of the deadly pub fire in Thailand’s Bangkok, visuals of which, especially a horizontal plume of intense fire jutting onto the road outside, have left the most hardened of hearts in a tizzy.
According to reports, the reasons that made the fire so deadly were nothing new. Pub and club fires across the world have proved to be deadly, the most recent incident from India being the one from Goa. On 6 December 2025, a fire killed 25 people and injured 50 at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, Goa.
Reports suggest the following reasons for the fire itself and why patrons could not come out of the establishment when it went up in flames.
1. The use of inflammable, or non-fire retarding, material used in the decoration of the club. Reports say that excessive use of plastic and acoustic black foam exacerbated the fire within seconds, leaving no time for the patrons to react. These highly combustible materials caught fire instantly, producing immeasurable heat and smoke.
2. The state was covered on top with a grass-like plastic material, according to a report by Reuters. The patron gallery, which was packed to capacity, was covered on the ceiling by acoustic black foam.
3. These materials produced toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide and cyanide. Also, the nature of these decorative and acoustic materials is such that, according to fire experts, a large amount of heat gets accumulated and sudden bursts of fire erupt. People died by inhaling these noxious and poisonous gases, before they were charred by fire.
4. The establishment was operating under a knocked-down category that required lesser measures to operate, though its operations were that of a full fledged entertainment establishment. The culpability of local authorities becomes suspect here, since licensing and review are their purview.
5. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, while he was inspecting the site of the unfortunate incident, was told that the exit door was bolted, preventing people from getting out to safety.
Experts say that obsolete laws that govern such establishments are at the heart of the tragedy. City authorities, on the other hand, are saying that they will launch a thorough investigation into the incident and take a stock of the laws from a fresh perspective.