Swiss Bar Fire Likely Caused By Sparklers, Authorities Say
The basement bar in the Swiss Alpine resort town was filled, but not overcrowded, with young celebrants during the initial moments of 2026. Noa Bersier was engaged in a game of billiards with friends. He observed waitstaff bustling about, some of whom were bearing bottles of Champagne adorned with small fireworks that erupted in showers of sparks. Suddenly, Mr. Bersier, 20, became alarmed as he noticed flames licking the ceiling, spreading rapidly. He quickly grabbed his jacket and made his way toward the stairs, navigating through a throng of people. A surge of heat washed over him. “I saw my hands decomposing,” he recounted. “I felt like I was on fire.” Mr. Bersier emerged from the ordeal with severe burns but was fortunate to be alive. More information emerged on Friday regarding the New Year’s blaze at the Constellation bar, located a short distance from the ski lifts in the luxurious resort of Crans-Montana. Swiss officials deemed the incident one of the deadliest fires in the nation’s history. They reported that forty lives were lost, and the numerous individuals who suffered critical burns were transported to hospitals across Switzerland, as well as in France and Italy. Beatrice Pilloud, the prosecutor general of Valais canton near Lake Geneva, stated on Friday that the probable cause of the fire was the sparklers, referred to in French as feux de Bengale — small fireworks that produce a fountain of sparks — which set the ceiling insulation ablaze. “From there, a rapid, very rapid, and general ignition occurred,” she declared at a news conference on Friday. Videos shared by French news entities and social media appeared to capture the initial moments of the fire, showing young people dancing to pulsating music as some partiers yelled, “Oh là ça brûle, oh là ça brûle!” It’s burning, it’s burning! A man was captured on video attempting to douse the flames by batting at the ceiling with a piece of clothing. The intensity of the fire prompted authorities to deploy a team of over 30 individuals, including dentists, to assist in identifying remains. Distressed and anxious parents and relatives wandered through the streets of Crans-Montana on Friday, posting requests on social media for information regarding their missing children, many of whom were teenagers. Among those injured were 71 Swiss, 14 French, and 11 Italian nationals, along with individuals from Australia, Belgium, Poland, and Portugal. The identities of 14 of the individuals have yet to be confirmed, according to Frédéric Gisler, the police chief of Valais canton. Among the deceased was Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old Italian golfer, as noted by the country’s golf federation. Swiss authorities announced on Friday that investigators would scrutinize various elements related to the bar itself — including construction materials, licenses, fire safety protocols, emergency exits, and maximum occupancy limits — to understand how this tragedy occurred. While no one has been apprehended or charged as of yet, Ms. Pilloud mentioned that investigators would examine whether negligence played a role in the fire, and whether any individual might bear criminal responsibility. Feux de Bengale are fireworks frequently seen at birthday parties and soccer victory festivities. Ms. Pilloud characterized them as “birthday candles that you can easily purchase at any shop.” However, they can pose dangers. A dedicated webpage from the Quebec government concerning firework use describes feux de Bengale this way: “Regarded as harmless, they nevertheless burn at extremely high temperatures, can ignite clothing, and inflict serious injuries. Once extinguished, they remain quite hot. Immediately immerse them in water to prevent burns.” Samir Melly, a frequent patron of the Constellation bar, shared in an interview on Friday that he had reported to the police after the fire about a potential issue with the basement ceiling. According to Mr. Melly, when he visited the bar earlier in the week, soundproof foam that had come loose was hanging down. The bar’s owner, Jacques Moretti, informed the Tribune de Genève that local authorities had conducted inspections of the bar three times over the past decade and emphasized that “everything was done according to the standards.” The New York Times has yet to establish contact with the owners. Local regulations in the area require annual fire safety inspections for public buildings or those that pose particular risks. Numerous witnesses recounted hearing an explosion within the bar amidst the blaze, which experts suggested was likely due to a phenomenon called flashover: the ignition of hot gases that accumulate at the ceiling. “All the wood, all the seats, all of the decorations and everything else in the room would be heated to the ignition temperature,” explained Steve Kerber, executive director of the Fire Safety Research Institute in Maryland. “If you have highly combustible materials, such as plastics, it occurs very swiftly.” In a town favored by affluent tourists, the bar was recognized as a laid-back venue with drink prices lower than those at many of the area’s upscale establishments. It did not impose an entry fee, making it a popular choice for teenagers and young adults. In Switzerland, the legal drinking age is 16 for beer and wine, and 18 for spirits. A lower level was commonly converted into a dance floor, featuring D.J.s. Swiss officials indicated that the majority of the 40 victims who perished in the fire were located in the basement, where the blaze originated. On the evening of the fire, Nestor Fischer, a 17-year-old who attended the New Year’s event, was positioned outside the club. He described hearing cries from inside and spotting smoke leaking from the doors. He attempted to force open a glass door to the right side of the bar. “It was stuck,” he recounted. “We tried to break it with a stool, we tried hitting the window, but it wouldn’t budge.” Eventually, Mr. Fischer stated, “I just ripped it off.” The interior of the bar felt like a “furnace,” he remarked. “I saw people collapsing inside the veranda,” he added. “Due to the lack of oxygen, they were fainting. People were shrieking.” Using the flashlights on their phones, Mr. Fischer mentioned that he and other bystanders aimed to guide individuals inside the bar to safety. As they emerged, he observed that the victims “were completely disfigured.” “They had no hair, they were entirely burned,” he recalled. “We could only see terror in their eyes.” Mr. Fischer expressed gratitude for having left the Constellation prior to midnight, finding it too subdued for a New Year’s celebration. On Friday, the authorities requested patience as they worked to identify the deceased, yet this did little to ease the anguish of those looking for missing loved ones. Social media posts on Facebook and Instagram seeking information about relatives included photographs of young people, some as young as 15. Laetitia Brodard-Sitre was among those who issued a request on Facebook, featuring a photo of her 16-year-old son, Arthur Brodard, lounging with a small dog. “We don’t know if he’s alive,” she wrote. She spent all of Thursday and Friday searching for her son after he welcomed the New Year at the bar. “If he is in the hospital, I don’t know which hospital he is in,” she explained to BFMTV, a French television network, on Friday. “If he is in a morgue, I don’t know which morgue he is in.” Many families found themselves in the same excruciating limbo. Some repeatedly dialed their relatives’ phones, which rang unanswered. Pierre Pralong, a grandfather of one of the missing individuals, told BFMTV on Thursday that he had not been in contact with his granddaughter, Émilie, who is 22. He described the situation as “agonizing.” Mr. Pralong expressed hope that his granddaughter might be injured and in a hospital. However, he acknowledged a growing apprehension about receiving worse news. “We cannot dream,” he remarked. “We have to be realistic.” Mr. Bersier, who escaped the bar using the overcrowded stairs, recounted the nightmarish events of the evening from his hospital bed on Friday. He described looking at his hands after making it outside. “The skin hanging off on all sides,” he noted. “My face was half-burned. I could tell that my hair was singed. I smelled of burns.” Friends transported him to the nearest significant hospital, a half-hour drive away in Sion. He disclosed that doctors informed him about burns he sustained on his head, hands, lower back, and a leg, though the extent of those burns was not shared with him. “I’m incredibly grateful to still be here today,” he stated, “in comparison to others who were unable to escape.” Ségolène Le Stradic and Aurelien Breeden reported from Crans-Montana, Switzerland, with contributions from Thomas Fuller in San Francisco. Additional reporting was provided by Amelia Nierenberg, Jenny Gross, Elisabetta Povoledo, Nick Cumming-Bruce, Isabella Kwai, John Yoon, Til Bürgy, Aric Toler, Christiaan Triebert, and Pranav Baskar.
Published: 2026-01-02 23:20:00
source: www.nytimes.com
