A late-night fire tore through a bar in Bangkok's Chatuchak district on Sunday, killing at least 27 people and leaving 22 critically injured. The blaze started near the stage of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, then spread rapidly, cutting power and filling the room with smoke, eyewitnesses said. Footage shows panicked customers screaming as they fled - some with their clothes on fire - through the flame-enveloped front door.

Firefighters arrived just after midnight and quickly extinguished the fire, but found the bodies of most victims in a bathroom, where they had apparently sought shelter. Because nothing says 'safe' like a small room with one exit during a fire. Preliminary investigations suggest an electrical short circuit in an air conditioner may be to blame, though no official cause has been given. Authorities have promised a thorough investigation, which is Thai for 'we've heard this before'.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited the scene and reported that a musician performing when the fire broke out told him there was 'blasting and everybody tried to flee from the smoke and flames'. Many didn't make it out because they 'went to the back of the building and tried to hide themselves in the toilet'. Nine men and 18 women died; more than 60 are in hospital, 22 in critical condition. Most deaths were from smoke inhalation, said Suriyachai Raviwan, director of Bangkok's disaster mitigation department.

Bangkok governor Chatchart Sittipunt noted that flammable ceiling decorations may have helped the fire spread, and there were reports of people found unconscious near an emergency exit, suggesting possible obstruction. Because nothing says 'emergency exit' like 'blocked'. A passing driver alerted firefighters, who brought the blaze under control in about half an hour. One motorcyclist, Surin Jaiharn, told AFP he helped about five people escape, using clothing to extinguish flames on their bodies. 'I feel depressed. I saw many deaths,' he said.

The bar has been cordoned off, with shattered windows and blackened interiors. The Chatuchak district office announced the building will be closed for 30 days. Families of the deceased will receive 29,300 Thai baht ($880; £660), while hospitalized victims get 4,000 baht ($120; £90). This is not Thailand's first bar fire rodeo: in 2022, a bar fire south of Bangkok killed 22; in 2009, a nightclub fire killed 66; and in 2024, an electrical short circuit at Chatuchak market killed 1,000 animals. So progress is… incremental.