"Santika - Mountain B - Rod Fai Beer Garden Ladprao" revisit major nightclub fires: How many times must Thailand learn these lessons?
Around midnight, approximately 23:57 on 12 Jul 2026, an accident occurred. A "major nightclub fire" happened again with many fatalities. The incident took place at Rod Fai Beer Garden Ladprao near Ladprao Intersection, Chatuchak district, Bangkok. The fire spread rapidly and violently, initially killing 27 tourists. Preliminary investigations suggest the fire started due to an electrical short circuit in the ceiling air conditioning unit, which then quickly spread to the highly flammable soundproof foam on the walls.
This event reminds Thais of past nightclub fires including "Santika" and "Mountain B" which each claimed dozens of lives in a single night from nearly identical causes. These incidents should have served as major lessons for stricter safety enforcement in entertainment venues to prevent such tragedies, yet losses continue to repeat.
Looking back to New Year's Eve, 1 January 2009, a famous nightclub fire occurred. "Santika" was a renowned upscale venue in Ekkamai, Bangkok, where 67 people died and over 200 were injured.
That night, Santika hosted a New Year's Eve party called "Goodbye Santika," its final event before closing. Nearly 1,000 partygoers attended, exceeding the building's capacity of about 500.
During the countdown, stage pyrotechnics ignited the foam soundproofing and other highly flammable decorations, causing the fire to spread rapidly. The luxurious pub turned into a blazing inferno in moments.
Additionally, emergency exit signs were unclear. Although there were four exits, patrons were unaware and rushed toward the narrow main front door only two meters wide, leading to crushing and trampling deaths. Over 38 bodies were found near this exit.
At 00:10, authorities received the alert. Fire engines arrived at 00:48 and took over an hour to control the blaze. Most victims died from smoke inhalation and trampling.
Subsequently, police charged Wisuk Sertsawat, aka "Sia Khao," Santika's manager, and the pyrotechnics company with causing a fire endangering others, negligent homicide, and other offenses.
In 2011, the court sentenced them to three years in prison. The case reached the Supreme Court in 2015, which upheld the sentence and ordered compensation to 46 victims ranging from 1 to 6 million baht each. In 2016, the Supreme Administrative Court ordered Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to compensate 12 victims totaling 5.79 million baht for neglecting building safety inspections and unauthorized conversion into a nightlife venue.
At 00:45 on 5 August 2022, a tragic repeat occurred at "Mountain B," a nightclub open only two months in Sattahip district, Chonburi. The fire killed 24 people—13 on site and 11 later at hospitals—and injured around 50 others.
The cause was an electrical short circuit in the ceiling, spreading to the foam soundproofing covering walls and ceiling, creating a fierce blaze and thick toxic smoke. The only main entrance/exit was at the front, as the fire escape door at the back was locked and obstructed.
Officials found Mountain B operated without a license and had previously been shut down once. It started as a restaurant, then was converted into a closed nightclub resembling a sealed box with no ventilation windows, no circuit breakers, and only two fire extinguishers.
In 2025, Pattaya Provincial Court sentenced four defendants, including the owner "Sia B" (Pongsiri Panprasong), to five years and four months in prison.
The latest tragedy occurred at Rod Fai Beer Garden Ladprao around midnight on 13 July 2026. So far, 27 people have died and at least 63 injured, with the highest number of fatalities found near the restrooms.
The preliminary cause is suspected to be an electrical short circuit spreading to soundproof foam panels. Then power failure occurred and smoke filled the venue. There were no clear emergency exit signs and some fire escape doors were locked, forcing people to cram through the single narrow main entrance/exit. Authorities are urgently investigating the true cause.
It is clear that this latest loss closely mirrors previous cases, raising the question: what have we truly learned from these repeated lessons?
