Swiss Alps Bar New Year’s Celebration Fire Leaves Dozens Feared Dead/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A devastating fire erupted inside a packed bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, leaving dozens feared dead and around 100 injured. Witnesses described panic, chaos, and a desperate scramble to escape. Authorities are still investigating the cause as families await identification of victims.
Swiss Bar Fire Tragedy Quick Looks
- Fire erupted in Le Constellation bar after midnight
- Crans-Montana Alpine resort turned into deadly scene
- “Several tens” of fatalities feared by authorities
- Nearly 100 people sustained serious injuries
- Bartender’s fire stunt possibly triggered the blaze
- Victims struggled to escape from basement-level nightclub
- Wooden ceiling collapsed; flashover suspected
- Helicopters, ambulances rushed to the scene
- Witnesses likened the event to a horror movie
- Hospital ICU and surgery units quickly overwhelmed
- No signs of a terror attack, officials confirm
- Cause under investigation; officials unable to enter wreckage
- Swiss President Parmelin postponed national address out of respect
- Crans-Montana was preparing for ski and golf events
- Fire parallels 2001 Volendam café disaster in the Netherlands
Deep Look: Swiss Alps Bar New Year’s Celebration Fire Leaves Dozens Feared Dead
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — A horrifying fire engulfed a crowded bar in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, killing dozens and injuring nearly 100 people, many of them seriously, according to Swiss authorities.
The blaze tore through the Le Constellation bar just over an hour into the new year, transforming a celebration into one of the deadliest disasters in Switzerland’s recent history. As fireworks lit the skies above the snow-covered resort, chaos erupted beneath them.
Police Commander Frédéric Gisler of the Valais Canton confirmed that “several tens of people” were presumed dead, though he said an exact figure would require time due to the difficulty in identifying victims and notifying families. “The community is devastated,” Gisler said during a press conference.
Crans-Montana, a resort town internationally known for its elite skiing and golf events, became a scene of mourning overnight. Emergency crews responded swiftly, with helicopters and ambulances transporting victims — including many foreign nationals — to overwhelmed hospitals across the region.
Eyewitness Accounts and Scene of Horror
Eyewitnesses described a terrifying scene inside the bar, located in a basement nightclub. According to two women who spoke to French broadcaster BFMTV, a male bartender lifted a female colleague on his shoulders as she held a lit candle inserted into a bottle. The flames suddenly spread to the wooden ceiling, rapidly transforming the festive atmosphere into a deadly trap.
Patrons rushed toward the narrow staircase leading out of the basement, fighting against a surging crowd, smoke, and flames. One woman said she barely escaped through a narrow door, while others tried smashing windows to flee.
A male witness watching from across the street said the horror resembled “a scene from a movie,” as injured people crawled out and parents arrived in panic, searching for their children.
The blaze appeared to trigger what fire officials describe as a “flashover” or backdraft — a violent ignition of trapped gases that explodes into flame. Authorities suspect this phenomenon may explain the speed and severity of the fire.
Too Many Injured, Not Enough Capacity
Regional government head Mathias Reynard confirmed that around 100 individuals sustained injuries, many of them critical. The regional hospital’s intensive care unit and operating theaters reached full capacity quickly after the event, with doctors and nurses working around the clock.
“This evening should have been a time of joy and community,” Reynard said, “but it turned into a nightmare.” He added that local residents were being asked to avoid activities that might result in injury, as emergency services remain stretched to their limits.
Still No Clear Cause, But No Indication of Attack
Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Investigators have yet to enter the burned-out remains of the building due to structural risks. However, officials made it clear that there is “no indication of any kind of attack,” ruling out terrorism or criminal arson at this stage.
A Town Known for Elegance, Now in Mourning
Crans-Montana is a luxurious ski destination nestled in the Swiss Alps, sitting at nearly 3,000 meters in elevation. The resort hosts high-profile events, including World Cup ski races and the European Masters golf tournament. The fire comes just weeks before the resort was set to welcome top downhill racers — including Olympic champions — in the final competition before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
The town lies just a few miles from Sierre, where a tragic bus crash in 2012 claimed 28 lives, many of them Belgian schoolchildren. Locals say the trauma of that past tragedy only deepens the impact of this new disaster.
Presidential Response
Swiss President Guy Parmelin, on his first day in office, offered condolences via social media. “Our thoughts go to the victims, the injured, and their families,” he wrote. Out of respect for the tragedy, Parmelin postponed the traditional New Year’s address that was scheduled to air later that afternoon.
The last time Switzerland experienced a disaster of this nature during a New Year celebration was 25 years ago, when a fire in the Dutch town of Volendam killed 14 people in a café. This latest catastrophe has now drawn painful comparisons.
‘As families wait for word about their loved ones and investigators begin the painstaking task of examining what went wrong, Crans-Montana enters 2026 not with celebration — but with grief and sorrow.
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