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Fire in Chon Buri Illegal Pub Kills 14, Injures 38

At least 14 people were killed and 38 injured in a fire at an illegally built and operated pub.

The tragic accident happened in the early Friday morning at Mountain B pub, located in Sattahip district, Chon Buri. According to Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, the nighttime venue did not have a license to operate and was built in a prohibited location.

Gen Anupong said officials had started to inspect the building’s details, including its design, emergency or fire exits, construction materials, and control systems.

“I told them to find the cause of the fire and the people responsible for it,” he added.

Chon Buri Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Atthasit Kitjahan explained that the business had originally received permission to operate as a restaurant. However, its facilities were illegally altered and used as a closed entertainment venue.

The Sattahip district chief has been transferred to join the investigation team working to determine how the pub was altered.

The fire broke out around 1:00 a.m. on Friday at a pub located on Sukhumvit Road in Tambon Phlu Ta Luang in the Sattahip district of Chon Buri. Over 100 clients were inside the premises.

According to witnesses, the flames were first noticed on the ceiling and then spread through the soundproofing foam.

The fire completely destroyed the building, damaging its interior structure, soundproofing, decoration, stage, and roof tiles. Police officers attempted to inspect the venue late Friday morning, but flames briefly flared up again, forcing them to retreat.

Meanwhile, investigators are questioning eyewitnesses, including staff, the pub’s owner and the electrician who repaired the building’s electrical system earlier, the Sattahip district chief added.

The provincial office for disaster prevention and mitigation in Chon Buri later reported that the fire had left 14 people dead and 38 others injured. The victims included 30-year-old singer Chatchai Chuenkha.

According to Chon Buri’s public health chief, Apirat Katanyutanon, 20 of the 38 confirmed injured people were critically hurt. They needed ventilators and had serious burns.

Dr. Apirat also reported that 12 critically hurt patients were taken to Ramathibodi, Siriraj, King Chulalongkorn Memorial, and Lerdsin hospitals in Bangkok.