‘In a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was on fire’: accounts from survivors of the fire that killed dozens in Switzerland

Fire in bar in Switzerland leaves dozens of dead and injured Around 40 people died and 115 were injured after a fire in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, this Thursday (1/1), according to local police commander, Frédéric Gisler The incident occurred at 1:30 am local time (9:30 pm Brasília time) at Bar Le Constellation, where a New Year’s celebration was taking place. Swiss President Guy Parmelin called the fire “one of the worst tragedies the country has ever experienced.” What is known about the explosion and fire at a ski resort bar in Switzerland Reproduction/Social media via BBC Parmelin called the episode a “drama of an unknown scale”, adding that many lives were lost and around 100 people were injured – some seriously. Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the canton of Valais, where the tragedy occurred, added that authorities are still awaiting more information, acknowledging that the wait is “unbearable”, but stressing that identifying the injured and fatal victims will “take time”. Among the dead and injured, it is believed that there are people of various nationalities, who were spending the end of the year in the Swiss Alps. The Italian Foreign Ministry reported that 16 Italian citizens were missing. The country is a neighbor of Switzerland. Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general for the canton of Valais, stated at the time that an investigation had been opened “to identify the circumstances that led to this dramatic situation.” According to her, the hypothesis of a fire is being worked on and the possibility of an attack has been ruled out. But Pilloud warned: “The work will take time.” What the witnesses say Two people of French nationality, Emma and Albane, who were at Le Constellation bar celebrating the New Year when the fire started, told the French channel BFMTV that the fire had started because a candle was placed too close to the ceiling, which then caught fire. They said one of the waitresses placed birthday candles on top of some champagne bottles and one of them was lifted. Ski resort in Switzerland BBC “Within a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was on fire. Everything was made of wood,” they added, adding that the flames “started to rise very quickly” and that “the entire ceiling was on fire, even the first floor”, as they tried to get out. The evacuation was “very difficult”, they said, because the escape route from where they were was “narrow” and the stairs leading to the street were “even narrower”. “We were very lucky,” they concluded, saying there were “about 200 people trying to get out in 30 seconds through a very narrow staircase.” A man told the AFP news agency that he was trapped inside the burning building and had to break a window to escape. “We were trapped, a lot of people were trapped. We couldn’t see due to the smoke,” he said. “We didn’t know how we were going to get out.” “I was underground. Me and my friends were having fun; unfortunately, some of our friends are no longer with us because of the fire.” Regarding the moments before the fire started, he stated that there were waitresses in the bar “with bottles of champagne with flares very close to the ceiling”, and that the “fire spread suddenly”. Witness Dominic Dubois told Reuters news agency that a nearby bar offered shelter and warmth on a cold night, with curtains being used to help keep people warm. “They did an incredible job of staying open. It was warm in there, and that’s what was needed,” he said. A local branch of UBS bank was also opened, he adds: “We pushed all the tables to the side, all the tables were moved away, and people came in. It was warm inside and there was more light too, so screening was done there.” Dubois said there were “a lot of shocking scenes”, adding: “There were a lot of very strong people, who stood their ground and understood that their lives were in danger, but decided that mentally it was more important to remain calm.” BBC News reporter Silvia Costeloe, who is at the scene, heard a person who had entered the burning bar to try to save the people inside. “We heard a big explosion and then we saw a lot of smoke,” he said. “I thought my little brother was inside, so I went in and tried to break the window to help people get out.” The man said that when he entered, he saw people “burning from head to toe, without any clothes on”, adding: “It was very shocking.” He further stated that firefighters and doctors arrived and took control of the situation, but that he tried to help as much as he could, offering water and clothes to the injured, including giving his jacket to a man with burns. “It’s very disturbing, because I went to this bar every day of the week… the day I didn’t go, it caught fire.” BBC News editor Rorey Bosotti spoke to a guest at a hotel about 50 meters from Le Constellation and said he and his family had just celebrated the arrival of 2026 in their room when they heard a series of explosions. “We thought someone had set off fireworks at the hotel entrance,” said Oleh Paska, who is in Crans-Montana with his wife and son. In the first few minutes, according to the report, they still thought the noise was just a “normal celebration.” They even heard someone “crying” outside, but at first they thought that a fight had started between the young people who were celebrating the New Year. Emergency services began to arrive, however, and Oleh’s wife noticed “different types of sirens” going off, signaling the arrival of ambulances, police and firefighters. What the Le Constellation bar looks like Image from November 2024 shows the interior of the bar Google Maps via BBC Le Constellation is a large bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, which has been around for at least 40 years. Although the Crans-Montana region — a luxurious ski resort located in the heart of the Swiss Alps, approximately two hours from the Swiss capital, Bern — is known for its luxury, the bar itself, according to BBC journalist Silvia Costeloe, “is large and not sumptuous.” According to Costeloe, Le Constellacion is a “true local institution”. Upstairs, there is an area with TV screens where people usually watch football matches. Downstairs is a large bar where patrons were probably drinking and dancing. The venue had capacity for up to 300 people and had a small terrace, although it is not known how many people were there at the time of the fire. The Christmas and New Year holidays are one of the busiest periods of the year for ski resorts in the Swiss Alps, and it is likely that the bar would be full of Swiss people and tourists celebrating the arrival of 2026. Hospitals receive injured Spokespeople for Swiss rescue agencies said that the emergency operation sent to the scene included 10 helicopters, 40 ambulances and 150 rescuers and that the majority of those injured suffered serious burns. They were sent to the hospital both in Valais and in cities in other regions of Switzerland. The director of the Lausanne University Hospital, Claire Charmet, says that the unit has already received 22 people. Ski resort in Switzerland BBC To the Swiss newspaper 24 Heures, she stated that these patients, aged between 16 and 26 years on average, would be “the most serious cases”. “The advanced medical post in Crans has already been cleared of the most critical cases”, he highlighted. The recovery of these victims, according to her, will be “a long and intense process, which will last several weeks, perhaps even months.” She adds that it is “too early to determine” whether any of them are at risk of death, saying the priority has been “getting patients in, identifying them, connecting them with their families and making sure the care process is working.” Another 60 people are receiving care at Sion hospital. The Valais attorney general also stated that authorities are also working to identify the fatal victims and return the bodies to their families as quickly as possible.

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