From BBC to Bangkok Post, Prof. Worsak's Fire-Safety Analysis Draws International Attention

Jul 21

3 min read

Updated: Jul 24

BBC News and BBC Thai drew extensively on the expertise of AITSPIN Executive Director Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai in their reporting on the deadly fire at Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao in Bangkok. The coverage subsequently reached audiences worldwide through media outlets across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

Beyond international news coverage, Professor Worsak’s analysis also contributed to wider public discourse through a new Bangkok Post op-ed, a long-form interview on Suthichai Live, and coverage by leading Thai media.

Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao was a popular live-music venue in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district and the site of a devastating fire on July 12, 2026, that killed at least 30 people and injured scores of others.

Professor Worsak was interviewed for BBC coverage, and BBC News featured his explanation of the dangers posed by toxic smoke. He said that many victims may have succumbed to smoke inhalation “even before getting burned.” A subsequent BBC analysis placed the Bangkok fire within the wider context of previous entertainment-venue disasters in Thailand, including the 2009 Santika Club fire and the 2022 Mountain B nightclub fire.

Thought Leadership Beyond the News

Professor Worsak expanded on the engineering lessons through opinion writing and long-form public interviews. In his latest Bangkok Post op-ed, “Lessons from the Lat Phrao Fire,” Professor Worsak presented a working engineering hypothesis based on preliminary inspection findings, witness accounts, photographs, and video evidence. The article also called for a fundamental rethink of fire-safety inspections. Rather than focusing solely on visible safety equipment such as extinguishers, emergency lighting, and exit signs, Professor Worsak argued that inspections should also examine concealed electrical systems, ceiling cavities, insulation materials, and fire-stopping measures that often remain hidden from public view.

He concluded with the stark observation:

“The deadliest part of this fire may have developed out of sight. Our system of prevention must learn to look where the public cannot.”

The op-ed builds on Professor Worsak’s earlier Bangkok Post commentaries on the Mountain B nightclub fire and the State Audit Office building collapse. Professor Worsak identified recurring patterns across the three tragedies.

Extensive International Media Reach

The BBC stories featuring Professor Worsak’s analysis were subsequently carried, translated, or adapted in more than 25 online reports and regional editions.

These included Yahoo News, AOL, MSN, The Star in Kenya, MyJoyOnline in Ghana, BanglaNews24 in Bangladesh, Ratopati in Nepal, and media outlets serving audiences in Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Greece, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Nigeria, Canada, and other markets.

Bringing Engineering Expertise to the Public

Thai media also drew extensively on Professor Worsak’s fire-safety expertise. Naewna published a detailed account of his technical assessment of how the fire may have developed above the ceiling before spreading into the main hall.

Professor Worsak’s analysis also reached Thai audiences through an extended interview on Suthichai Live. The interview also introduced AITSPIN and its M.Sc. (Professional) in Professional Intelligence, illustrating how the School applies Professional Intelligence by combining domain expertise with responsible AI to address complex real-world challenges.

He also shared a practical piece of advice for the public that wheneverentering an enclosed venue, it is important to identify all available exits and consider whether they could be reached within three minutes should an emergency occur.

Thai PBS also published an explainer on backdraft and the dangers created when heat and combustible gases accumulate inside an enclosed structure.

For AITSPIN, the international coverage, opinion writing, and public interviews show how deep expertise can clarify complex issues and inform public action. They also reflect AITSPIN’s core principle that professional knowledge becomes more powerful when combined with intelligence and applied to real-world challenges.