Early on New Year’s Day, a fire tore through a crowded bar in an upscale Swiss Ski resort in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The event was tragic, killing 40 people and injuring over 100. According to a New York Times article, the Swiss president called this “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever experienced.”
Friends and family gathered at the Le Constellation bar had just rang in the New Year when disaster struck at around 1:30 a.m. Swiss investigators believe that sparklers placed on top of alcohol bottles sent up sparks that ignited foam insulation covering parts of the ceiling. According to an AP News article, two women told French broadcaster BFMTC that they saw a male bartender lift a female colleague on his shoulders as she held a lit sparkler on her bottle, causing flames to spread. Swiss officials described the blaze as likely a flashover, meaning that it triggered the release of combustible gases that can ignite fiercely and create explosions.
The overwhelming heat eventually caused the ceiling to collapse, leaving many trapped in the bar’s basement. Some people attempted to smash windows to escape, while others tried fleeing up a flight of stairs and through a narrow door, creating a crowd surge. First responders rushed to the scene, and many young witnesses bravely joined them in the rescue effort.
While the severity of the burns made it very difficult to recognize the bodies, Swiss officials were able to identify all of the 116 injured and 40 deceased. The victims included a bulk of Swiss nationals, along with citizens of France, Italy, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Portugal, Poland and Luxembourg. With the legal drinking age only being 16 in Switzerland, the victims consisted of teenagers and young adults aged 16-21.
While this was ultimately a freak accident, further investigation of the bar has revealed that it could have possibly been prevented. According to a New York Times article, local Swiss authorities failed to conduct annual safety inspections at the bar between 2020 and 2025. The last inspection was conducted in May 2019, during which time inspectors flagged no major issues; however, much could have changed since then. The owners of Le Constellation, a French couple named Jacques Moretti and Jessica Moretti, are under criminal investigation for potential negligence that may have contributed to the fire. According to an AP News article, Switzerland’s Tribune de Genève newspaper reported that Jacques Moretti told it the bar had been checked “three times in 10 years” and that “everything was done within the standards.”
Families, friends and people watching across the globe are still mourning this devastation that will require a long recovery. But for now, Crans-Montana has decided to ban the use of pyrotechnic, or heat-releasing, devices indoors and to order an external firm to “immediately” inspect public establishments.
