Santika Club fire
Ruins of the Santika nightclub, photographed three days after the event, on 4 January 2009
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| Date | January 1, 2009 |
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| Venue | Santika nightclub |
| Location | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Coordinates | 13°44′1.38″N 100°35′10.92″E / 13.7337167°N 100.5863667°ECoordinates: 13°44′1.38″N 100°35′10.92″E / 13.7337167°N 100.5863667°E |
| Type | Fire |
| Cause | Fireworks or electrical explosion |
| Deaths | 66 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 222 |
The Santika Club fire occurred on Thursday 1 January 2009, in the Santika Club nightclub in Watthana, Bangkok, Thailand, where New Year celebrations were taking place. A total of 66 people were killed and another 222 injured when fire swept through the nightclub during the New Year's celebration as a band, coincidentally called "Burn", was playing. By another coincidence, the party was named "Santika's Last Night". The fire broke out at 00:35 am. and citizens of thirteen countries were among the injured.
No official cause for the Santika fire has been announced by investigators. Suggested causes include outdoor fireworks that set the roof on fire, sparklers lighted inside the nightclub, or an electrical explosion. One witness stated there were no pyrotechnics in the club, while another reported seeing flames on the roof after going outside to watch the midnight fireworks display.
Video recordings of the indoor stage event, including the countdown to midnight, show that only ordinary holiday sparklers were used. Moreover, the fire became visible indoors approximately 10 minutes after midnight. This strongly suggests the fire originated inside the ceiling space or on the roof, allowing it to grow in intensity while going unnoticed for some time. Due to the lax enforcement of building regulations, tar paper and plastic are often used as waterproofing materials.
Around 1,000 guests and employees were in the club when it burned, and deaths occurred from smoke inhalation, burns and being crushed during a stampede for the exit. Doctors stated that fumes from burning plastic could have caused people to faint after a few minutes. Santika only had one main exit, with an additional private staff exit. A third exit was locked to prevent robberies.
The injured were taken to 19 hospitals, with most brought to Bangkok Hospital. Only 29 of the 61 bodies were immediately identified, of these 28 were Thais and the other a Singaporean. The bodies of those who died were wrapped in white cloth and placed in the club's car park pending removal. It took up to a week to identify the others because of extensive burns to their bodies. Pongsak Kasemsan, an official in Bangkok, ordered a preliminary investigation, with results by January 4.
After a preliminary inspection of the club's safety system, it was declared "substandard" by police Lieut. Gen. Jongrak Jutanont. It was revealed the club only had one fire extinguisher, and that the nightclub was registered as a food vendor (restaurant), meaning it was required by law to close at midnight.
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Wikipedia