What began as a New Year’s celebration in a popular Swiss ski resort ended as one of the country’s worst recent tragedies. A fire ripped through the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana in the early hours of January 1 — turning the packed party into a desperate struggle to survive.
As per the latest update, 40 people were killed and another 115 were injured, many of them seriously, after flames tore through the basement bar less than two hours after midnight. The venue, known for its lively nightlife in the Alpine town, had quickly changed from music, dancing, to screams, smoke, and chaos. Visuals from outside showed flames billowing out as emergency services arrived on site.
What caused the fire?
The main focus is now on how the flames first reached the ceiling. As per a report by the Associated Press, two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that had noticed staff performing a risky stunt while inside the bar.
They stated that a male bartender lifted a female bartender onto his shoulders while she was holding a bottle with a lit candle. The witnesses told BFMTV that the flame had touched the ceiling and the situation changed in seconds.
“The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling,” they recalled.
A picture shared on X by @viseregard24 shows the likely start of the blaze and adds that the soundproofing foam in the ceiling was set alight by accident. Together, these accounts suggest that an open flame that was held close to the ceiling, lined with foam and wood, triggered the deadly blaze.
Officials have not yet concluded their investigation or announced a formal cause for the fire.
What was happening inside the bar?
Survivors described pure panic. Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris, told AP that there was “total chaos” once the fire spread. He recalled feeling as though he was suffocating — first hiding behind a table, and then running upstairs and using a table to knock a window out of its frame so he could escape.
The bar was located in a basement, with a narrow staircase and a small door heading outside. One of the women who spoke to BFMTV described a crush of people trying to go to the stairs at the same time. Another witness said people started smashing windows to get out and compared the scene to a horror movie.