The fire broke out at about 1 a.m. Friday at the Mountain B nightclub in the Sattahip district of Chonburi province, about 90 miles southeast of Bangkok. Video released by an emergency service shows desperate revelers fleeing the club screaming, their clothes on fire, as the fire rages in the background. Chalit Chotisupakarn, who escaped with burns to his hands and torso, described scenes of panic and despair as people tried to get out of the building. “I couldn’t see anything, everything was dark. Everyone was shouting “Go away! Get out!’ We all had to try to get out,” he told reporters. “I just pushed and pushed. There were people with fire all over their bodies.” The Sawang Rojanathammasathan Rescue Foundation said 14 people were killed and about 40 injured. Chalit Chotisupakarn, who survived the Mountain B nightclub fire, speaks to reporters. Photo: Reuters The agency said the fire was fueled by flammable acoustic foam on the club’s walls, and it took firefighters more than three hours to bring it under control. The prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, offered his condolences to the families of the victims and said he had ordered an investigation into the fire. The dead – four women and 10 men – were found mainly in the entrance and in the bathroom, with their bodies severely burned, the agency said. They were aged between 17 and 49 and are all believed to be Thai. One of the victims was the singer of the band that was playing at the club, his mother told local media. “I don’t know what to say. Death came suddenly,” Premjai Sae-oung told reporters. She said a musician friend who escaped told her the fire broke out in front of the band and spread quickly. Police are investigating whether there were fire leaks in the one-storey building and engineers are inspecting the structure amid fears it could collapse. Sompong Chingduang, assistant commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, said the owner was under investigation for apparently changing the venue from a restaurant to a nightclub without a license. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am Concerns have long been raised about Thailand’s lax approach to health and safety regulations, particularly in its countless bars and nightclubs. A massive inferno broke out at a New Year’s Eve party at Bangkok’s posh Santika club in 2009, killing 67 people and injuring more than 200. Santika’s owner was jailed for three years after the fire, which started when fireworks went off as a rock band called Burn played on stage. In 2012, four people were killed in a fire caused by an electrical fault at a club on the island of Phuket, a draw for foreign tourists.
