An Australian man has told how he saw people with their clothes on fire running out of a nightclub during a fatal fire in the Phuket town of Patong.
Thai officials have so far no confirmation of any New Zealanders or Australians being among those injured by the blaze at Tiger Disco, which broke out in the early hours of Friday morning.
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Four people died and at least 11 were injured in the blaze.
The dead include two women and one man.
Darwin man Jaryd Kemp, who calls Patong his "second home", said lightning had hit power lines and a transformer just before the fire at around 4am local time.
He said the transformer had exploded "five metres away from me".
"People on fire (were) running out of the club like you would see in a movie," he told News Ltd on Friday.
Dr Pumin Silapunt, from Patong Hospital, said four of the injured were French and the other seven were Thai.
The four dead were badly burned. A forensic team will attempt to identify the bodies.
It is thought witnesses initially thought the blaze was caused by a bomb, promting patrons to panic and run towards the doors.
Thamrongsak Boonrak, the disco's lawyer, told the Phuket Gazette staff fought the fire with more than 30 extinguishers.
"If they hadn't fought the fire there would have been many more people injured," he said.
Mr Thamrongsak said the club's owners would compensate victims and cover their medical expenses.
"We are not going to deny any responsibility," he said.
"We will not let this affect Thailand's reputation as a tourism destination."
The club was breaching the local 2am curfew.
But Mr Thamrongsak said it remained open because heavy rain had started to fall and patrons did not want to leave.
Concerns about fire safety at Thai nightclubs were highlighted by a blaze at a disco in the capital Bangkok in 2009, which left more than 60 people dead as they celebrated the new year.
Thailand is a tourist magnet - attracting 19 million visitors last year - but its image as the Land of Smiles has been tested in recent years by deadly political unrest, devastating floods and concerns about violent crimes against foreigners.
In June, an Australian woman was stabbed to death during an attempted robbery in Phuket, while two Canadian sisters were found dead in a hotel room on nearby Phi Phi island, showing signs of an extreme toxic reaction.
The Australian foreign affairs department said it was saddened by the tragedy and was trying to find out if Australians were involved.
"Thai authorities are yet to advise us on the nationalities of those affected," a representative said.
"We have not been advised that any Australians are involved."
The Tiger Disco, near Patong Beach, was popular with Europeans and Thais, but was not frequented by Australian travellers, police told AAP.