At least 27 people died when a fire broke out at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub in Bangkok on a Sunday night. More than 70 others were hurt, including 25 in serious condition, according to BBC. These numbers have climbed as hospitals report updated figures from Reuters and Al Jazeera.

Thailand's police are now looking into what went wrong. They are checking whether an electrical problem started the fire. They are also investigating whether tables and beer crates were blocking the fire exits — the doors people use to escape. A third question is whether the walls and ceilings were covered with material that catches fire easily, according to Reuters and Thai Enquirer. This material, called acoustic foam, is used to keep noise from spreading between rooms. It's cheap and works well, but it burns fast and makes thick, toxic smoke.

Police have not yet said what caused the fire or when they will release their findings.

Why did so many people die or get hurt? When a fire starts in a room full of people, three things determine whether they can escape. First, how fast does the fire spread and make smoke? Second, are the exits clear? Third, do people have enough time to get out?

In this case, acoustic foam burns very quickly and makes heavy smoke that fills a space in moments — much faster than concrete or brick would. If the fire exits were blocked by tables or beer crates, people had nowhere to go. This is the same pattern seen in deadly nightclub and bar fires across Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. When you combine a fire that spreads fast with exits that are blocked or locked, people do not have time to escape.

Thailand has tightened fire safety rules for bars and nightclubs after fires in the past. But smaller bars — especially those in buildings with shops and offices mixed together, like in the Chatuchak neighborhood — are not always checked carefully. It is not yet clear whether this pub passed recent safety inspections.

The bigger question is what comes next. If police find that someone deliberately blocked the exits or used materials that should not have been allowed under safety rules, the pub's owners could face criminal charges. This has happened in other countries. If the fire came from a fault in the electrical wiring that nobody could have predicted, the focus will likely shift to making the rules stricter instead of punishing the owners. Right now, police are still gathering facts and have not said how long the investigation will take.