Grieving Mother Lays Flowers as Fire Victims Mourned

On July 14, a somber atmosphere surrounded the beer bar in Lat Phrao where the fire occurred, as families, relatives, friends, and acquaintances of the victims continuously brought white roses, wreaths, and condolence messages to lay at the entrance. The mother of Ms. Nanthip Thapsuk, one of the fatalities, placed a wreath while tearfully recounting that she learned of the tragedy around 1 a.m. after her daughter's friend's older sister, a volunteer at a foundation, informed her that her daughter had called to invite friends to the bar. The mother stated the family would collect her daughter's body from the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police Hospital before transporting it to Nakhon Nayok province for a merit-making ceremony. Ms. Chutiya Sukanutsart, a regular patron who came to pay respects, revealed she had visited the bar twice, most recently in April, and noted the space felt cramped with tables packed too tightly together. She said she never noticed a rear exit—only a candy counter was visible—and remarked that fire escape signs were barely noticeable unless one worked there or actively looked for them. She described using only the front entrance and expressed anxiety about future outings, stating she would now choose venues with open spaces and clearly marked exits. Meanwhile, Union Mall, located near the incident site, conducted routine fire drill training for staff and shop representatives led by rescue officials to review procedures and correct equipment usage, emphasizing this was a scheduled weekly practice and not a special response to the bar fire.