Months-old CCTV footage falsely linked to deadly Bangkok bar fire
- Published on July 15, 2026 at 10:29
- 3 min read
- By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, AFP Thailand
After a deadly fire tore through a bar in Bangkok on July 12, 2026, killing at least 30 people, a video of flames behind a counter was falsely linked to the incident on social media. AFP traced the months-old clip to a bar in Kamphaeng Phet province, more than 300 kilometres from the Thai capital, where staff said the blaze depicted in the footage was quickly extinguished.
"Bangkok: 27 dead in bar fire. A fire tore through the Rong Beer bar in Bangkok's Chatuchak district just before midnight Sunday. 27 dead, over 70 injured, 25 critical," reads an English-language Facebook post published on July 14, 2026.
The post shares a 41-second video showing patrons inside a pub as flames break out behind the bar. A staff member uses a fire extinguisher while customers evacuate the venue as smoke fills the room.
Superimposed text on the video -- which has accumulated over 54,000 views -- reads "27 Dead as Fire Rips Through Bangkok Beer Hall" and "Deadliest incident happened ever."
Other posts sharing the video with similar claims also appeared on Facebook and X, after flames ripped through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant in Bangkok on the night of July 12, 2026, sending people fleeing -- with several seen with their clothes burned or ablaze (archived link).
As of July 17, the death toll stands at 30, while 75 people have been injured and 24 are in a critical condition (archived link). An independent expert told AFP that the bar lacked basic safety systems that might have saved lives (archived link).
It was the deadliest fire in Thailand since a blaze tore through Bangkok's Santika club during New Year celebrations in 2009, killing 67 people and injuring more than 200.
AFP verified footage of the Bangkok fire and spoke to witnesses at the scene, but the circulating clip does not depict the deadly bar fire itself.
Old video
AFP examined the footage and spotted a CCTV timestamp in the upper right corner reading "06-03-2026" -- dating the footage to March 6, 2026, more than four months before the July 12 blaze in the Thai capital.
A reverse image search on Google using the circulating video's keyframes led AFP to an identical Instagram video published by an account called "orbit.bar" on July 13, 2026 (archived link).
The post's Thai-language caption expressed condolences over the Bangkok fire, while saying the video showed a previous incident at its own premises -- adding that all customers and staff had evacuated safely and the fire had been quickly extinguished.
"From the fire incident that once occurred at our own venue, it made us clearly realise that 'customer safety' must come before everything else," reads part of the Instagram post.
Orbit Bar is located in Kamphaeng Phet province, more than 300 kilometres northwest from Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar in Bangkok where the inferno took place (archived link).
Keeratipat Meethana, an Orbit Bar employee, confirmed to AFP by phone on July 14 that the viral clip showed an incident at his workplace on March 6, 2026 -- consistent with the CCTV timestamp -- and had no connection to the recent Bangkok bar fire.
"The clip shows an incident from several months ago," Keeratipat said, adding that a trained staff quickly put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher.
AFP compared a screenshot from the video with a photo posted on Orbit Bar's Facebook page on June 14, 2026, and found matching elements including a shelf behind the bar area, hanging decorations and red curtains lining the walls (archived link).
AFP previously debunked misinformation linked to accidents in Thailand.
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