deejaysteven

i was supposed to be at santika last night , for a strange reason at the last minute before going to fetch a taxi , my GF and i decided not to go as we didn't want to be in an overcrowded place and most of all didn't want to have to wait hours to find a taxi back home, so we stayed home.

at 12.05 my friend whom i was supposed to meet at santika called me saying there was a fire. he's been quite lucky to escape safe and sound because he was at the bar when the fire broke out. The thing is that if i went there we would have chosen to go on the mezzanine as we always do when the place is crowded.

What he told me is that few minutes after the outside fireworks , he saw the fire starting ON THE RAMP OF LIGHTS right above the stage. He is pretty positive that the pyrotechnics had nothing to do with the fire simply because there was NO PYROTECHNICS USED INDOOR.

here is what he tells happened:

12:00h countdown -happy new year

12:01h fireworks OUTSIDE shot from a nearby building

12:1xh fire starting in the lights above the stage

12:1x+10 seconds thick black smoke filling the club, big flames above the stage and already it was hard to breathe

12:1x+ 15 he went out of the club

the thing isd that this guy is an airline pilot and knows well the dynamics of fire, but there he was amazed by the speed the fire extended. According to him the fire was well beyond normal speed of expansion.

Also i'm sick and tired of thai people blaming all the problems on foreigners. The real culprit here is the lack of fire safety PERIOD!

just put the owner of santika ltd in jail for minimum 10 years and make him pay huge compensation to the victims and the families of those who died to show other irresponsible nightspot owners that it cost to disregard the safety of the people.

This is about the same story my belgian friend told me on the phone this morning.. he didn't mention the fire could have started from fireworks on stage, he only said to me that suddently the roof was on fire here and there and from there on it spreaded amazingly fast, and the real problems begon when the electricity went off and there was no emergency light or signs, then the panick really started and he just got out in time, after he even burned his hand on the clothing of someone he helped out there

he also noticed that in the beginning he only saw farangs go back inside to help people out.. so i guess we're not that bad are we??

I was in a club nearby which was equally packed when there was a power cut thanks to the fire in Santika and everyone had to leave.

Saw loads of people running away from Santika. A horrible scene indeed.

One conspiracy theory circulating in Thai forums is that the fire was started by an arsonist. The story goes like this:

When the lease of the club was about to expire, the owner(s) of Santika asked for an extention because the club was doing very well but then it was immediately rejected as the premises owner saw a golden opportunity in starting their new nightclub in such a prime location already popular among clubbers. This is quite common practice in Thailand in case you didn't know. They either reject an extension or ask for much higher rent.

So the Santika management got furious for obvious reasons and planned arson of the whole premises on the last day of the lease as a way to get back to the premises owner. While police investigation is still under way, many believe the Santika management will get away because 'apparently' some clubbers have come out and said the fire was started by fireworks by one of their fellow clubbers. One can't help wondering how they could be allowed to bring in such flamable material. They also must have known that the premises owner would be held responsible for the fire-trapping design of the club.

To add fuel to the conspiracy, this was the first time that fireworks were ever used and top perfomers Joey Boy and his crew miraculously escaped the fire despite being on the stage most of the time. Plus the major share holders of Santika weren't present last night when they should have been there to offer their thanks to loyal punters and see their world renowned club end in style.

Anyway this might just be a theory but you know anything is possible when it comes to big money. Just look at the Iraq war and stuff.

My condolences to the family and friends of the many victims.

This possibility has been sitting at the back of my mind. Anyone who knows Thailand for any length of time, knows that vindictive acts around property and leasing are very common, including discontinuing a lease after a rented business becomes successful. It seems too outrageous to me that this would happen on the last day of the lease, with a sign that says "Goodbye Santika", and flagrant disregard for lighting fireworks inside the premises. Something doesn't seem right.

Either way, it is tragic and highly contemptuous of human life. Don't count on finding out the truth, or seeing anyone directly related held responsible.

trash talk for the small and narrow minded, a BS conspiracy theory.

Yeah, like the 9/11 "conspiracy"... think u wouldn't believe what some people would do for money...

Anyway, i hope it's not true but as my friend woke me up and said he survived a fire in bkk i read the article in a belgian newspaper (online offcourse) and when i read it was the last night of their lease it

surely was the first thing on my mind.. whatever it is , it's a sad coincidense but worth investigating, same as 9/11!!! but hey, that would be un-patriotic wouldn't it be.. another story but stuff like this just makes me think.... it's not like stuff like this never happens...

When i saw the vid on youtube dam_n, shivers all over my body, i really truly feel for all the people involved!! RIP!!!