The New Year’s celebration at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana turned from revelry to horror less than two hours after midnight Thursday when fire tore through the crowded venue, leaving dozens presumed dead and about 100 injured.
“Several tens of people” were presumed killed at the bar, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference.
Work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families but “that will take time and for the time being it is premature to give you a more precise figure,” Gisler said, adding that the community is “devastated.”
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.
“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.
Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene to assist victims, including some from different countries, officials said.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV that they were inside when they saw a barman carrying a barmaid on his shoulders. The barmaid was holding a lit candle in a bottle that set fire to the wooden ceiling. The flames quickly spread and collapsed the ceiling, they said.
One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.
Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside.
The young man said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror film as he watched from across the street.
Officials described how the blaze likely triggered the release of combustible gases that ignited violently and caused what English-speaking firefighters call a flashover or backdraft.
“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government.
The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theatre at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, Rénard said.
In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.
With high-altitude ski runs rising around 3,000 metres in the heart of the Valais region’s snowy peaks and pine forests, Crans-Montana is one of the top venues on the World Cup circuit. The resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers, including Lindsey Vonn, for their final events before the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.
The town’s Crans-sur-Sierre golf club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin said in a social media post that the government’s “thoughts go to the victims, to the injured and their relatives, to whom it addresses its sincere condolences.”
Thursday was Parmelin’s first day in office as the seven members of Switzerland’s government take turns holding the presidency for one year. Out of respect for the families of the victims, he delayed a traditional New Year address to the nation meant to be broadcast Thursday afternoon.
The lit candle in a bottle setting fire to the wooden ceiling represents a catastrophic moment when celebration turned deadly. The witnesses’ account suggests the barmaid was participating in some kind of performance or celebration, possibly being carried on the barman’s shoulders as part of New Year’s festivities.
The wooden ceiling catching fire from a candle demonstrates how quickly flames can spread in older buildings with combustible materials. Once the ceiling ignited, the fire would have raced across the wooden surface faster than people could react.
The ceiling collapsing added a second layer of horror to an already desperate situation. People trying to escape not only faced flames and smoke but also falling debris from the structure giving way above them.
The basement nightclub location with narrow stairs and a narrow door created a deadly bottleneck. Basement venues with limited exits become death traps during fires because smoke rises, filling escape routes, and panicked crowds create crushing pressure at choke points.
The crowd surge described by witnesses reflects the panic that occurs when people realise they’re trapped with fire spreading. In confined spaces, the pressure of bodies pushing toward a single exit can itself become fatal, even before smoke inhalation or burns.
People smashing windows to escape shows the desperation of those trapped inside. Breaking windows provides alternative exits but also feeds oxygen to the fire, potentially making the blaze worse whilst offering escape routes.
The gravely injured victims escaping through windows likely suffered from falls, cuts from broken glass, smoke inhalation, or burns. Those injuries on top of the trauma of experiencing the fire will require extensive medical care.
Parents rushing to the scene in cars trying to learn if their children were trapped inside captures the particular horror for families. Crans-Montana as an international resort means young people from various countries were likely celebrating together, and parents received news of the fire without knowing if their children escaped.
The flashover or backdraft that officials described occurs when accumulated combustible gases ignite suddenly, creating an explosive fireball that can engulf an entire space in seconds. This phenomenon explains how the fire could have killed dozens so quickly.
The intensive care unit and operating theatre hitting full capacity means the most seriously injured couldn’t all receive immediate treatment at the local hospital. Some victims likely had to be transported to facilities farther away, delaying critical care.
The call for locals to show caution avoiding accidents reflects the strain on medical resources. With hospitals overwhelmed treating fire victims, the region can’t handle additional trauma cases from skiing accidents or other emergencies.
Crans-Montana being less than 5 kilometres from Sierre, where 28 people including many children died in a 2012 bus crash, means this community has experienced major tragedy before. The accumulated grief of two disasters 13 years apart will weigh heavily.
The comparison to the Volendam fire in the Netherlands 25 years ago on New Year’s Eve shows this type of tragedy, nightclub or bar fires during celebrations, recurs despite lessons that should have been learned.
Swiss President Parmelin delaying his traditional New Year address on his first day in office demonstrates the gravity of the situation. Starting a presidency meant to be ceremonial and celebratory with a national tragedy sets a sombre tone.
