Bangkok pub fire death toll rises to 32

The death toll from an explosive fire at a Bangkok live music pub has risen to 32 after two people died ​from their injuries, the Police Hospital said on Wednesday, as ‌police investigate the possibility of negligence as a factor in the blaze.

The fire, one of the deadliest in recent years in Thailand, tore through the Rong Beer Na ​Lat Phrao pub in the city's northern Chatuchak area close ​to midnight on Sunday, with witnesses describing an explosion, a horizontal ⁠burst of fire and smoke engulfing the single-storey venue.

The Erawan Emergency ​Medical Centre said 30 people were still being treated in hospitals in ​the city, with 15 of those in intensive care units. A total of 44 people have been discharged.
Authorities believe the fire was probably sparked by an electrical ​short circuit in a ceiling air conditioner.

Police are investigating the possibility ​of negligence and if emergency exits were obstructed, as the government vows to tighten regulations ‌over ⁠entertainment venues, including random inspections to ensure fire exits are unobstructed and that venues are safe. The pub had undergone an inspection in April.

The pub, located at a busy intersection next to train stations and ​two shopping malls, ​is one of ⁠a cluster of similar bars often crowded on weekend nights, serving food, drinks as well as offering live ​music and televised sports.

Experts say they think combustible material that ​decorated ⁠the stage to improve acoustics instantly ignited to produce extreme heat, smoke and toxins, choking the trapped patrons.

The use of flammable materials and decorative items, ⁠crowded ​conditions and unusable emergency exits in Thai ​establishments have been previously flagged, including after a fire at another Bangkok nightclub in 2009 ​that killed at least 65.

-Reuters