Switzerland - 40 dead and 116 injured in fire in bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss ski resort, 1 January 2026

[Harchmare]

Le patron du Constellation a confirmé que la porte de service du rez-de-chaussée était verrouillée | RTS

RECTIFICATIF - Dans une première version de cet article, nous avons écrit que Jacques Moretti avait reconnu que l’issue de secours du sous-sol était verrouillée, mais cette information était fausse. L'exploitant du Constellation parlait en réalité d'une porte de service au rez-de-chaussée.

www.rts.ch

“CORRECTION - In an earlier version of this article, we wrote that Jacques Moretti had acknowledged that the basement emergency exit was locked, but this information was incorrect. The manager of the Constellation was actually referring to a service door on the ground floor.
According to information from RTS, the manager of the Constellation, Jacques Moretti, admitted to investigators that the service door on the ground floor of the establishment was locked from the inside. He also admitted to having changed the foam that caught fire himself.

The service door on the ground floor of the Constellation was locked. This is not according to witnesses or bar employees, but the owner of the Constellation himself.

According to information cross-checked by the RTS investigation team, Jacques Moretti told investigators that on the night of the tragedy, he noticed that the service door was locked from the inside.”
So there was another door on the ground floor, likely used as a staff entrance? As well as the security exit in the basement?

 

[Harchmare]

“Italian report: "34 of the 40 victims died on the stairs"
According to an Italian report, 34 of the 40 victims died on the stairs. This has been reported by various Italian media outlets, based on the report by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office.
The Italian newspaper Il Giornale knows that investigators from Italy travelled to Crans-Montana on 4 January to conduct their own investigation. "34 people were found on the stairs. The wooden banister had broken under the weight of the bodies. Three other victims were found outside on the pavement; they died shortly after reaching the exit of the bar."
Various things have already been said and written about the staircase. During the renovation of the premises in 2015, the staircase was significantly narrowed – from 3 metres to 1 metre – and this is one of the elements that investigators are now examining closely. It is possible that this notorious narrowing played an important role in the scale of the disaster.”

Dodelijke brand Zwitserland - Uitbater van nachtclub formeel aangehouden en moet voorlopig zeker 3 maanden naar de cel | VRT NWS: nieuws Second hand reporting but it’s a source I trust here in Belgium. Will look for the article in Il Giornale later unless someone has it. And the Charlie Hebdo cartoon is so disgusting.

 

[Sarahlou]

“Italian report: "34 of the 40 victims died on the stairs"
According to an Italian report, 34 of the 40 victims died on the stairs. This has been reported by various Italian media outlets, based on the report by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office.
The Italian newspaper Il Giornale knows that investigators from Italy travelled to Crans-Montana on 4 January to conduct their own investigation. "34 people were found on the stairs. The wooden banister had broken under the weight of the bodies. Three other victims were found outside on the pavement; they died shortly after reaching the exit of the bar."
Various things have already been said and written about the staircase. During the renovation of the premises in 2015, the staircase was significantly narrowed – from 3 metres to 1 metre – and this is one of the elements that investigators are now examining closely. It is possible that this notorious narrowing played an important role in the scale of the disaster.”

Dodelijke brand Zwitserland - Uitbater van nachtclub formeel aangehouden en moet voorlopig zeker 3 maanden naar de cel | VRT NWS: nieuws Second hand reporting but it’s a source I trust here in Belgium. Will look for the article in Il Giornale later unless someone has it. And the Charlie Hebdo cartoon is so disgusting.

Oh god, I hadn't seen that Charlie Hebdo cartoon before. That's absolutely vile.

 

[Rikissa]

Le patron du Constellation a confirmé que la porte de service du rez-de-chaussée était verrouillée | RTS

RECTIFICATIF - Dans une première version de cet article, nous avons écrit que Jacques Moretti avait reconnu que l’issue de secours du sous-sol était verrouillée, mais cette information était fausse. L'exploitant du Constellation parlait en réalité d'une porte de service au rez-de-chaussée.

www.rts.ch

“CORRECTION - In an earlier version of this article, we wrote that Jacques Moretti had acknowledged that the basement emergency exit was locked, but this information was incorrect. The manager of the Constellation was actually referring to a service door on the ground floor.
According to information from RTS, the manager of the Constellation, Jacques Moretti, admitted to investigators that the service door on the ground floor of the establishment was locked from the inside. He also admitted to having changed the foam that caught fire himself.

The service door on the ground floor of the Constellation was locked. This is not according to witnesses or bar employees, but the owner of the Constellation himself.

According to information cross-checked by the RTS investigation team, Jacques Moretti told investigators that on the night of the tragedy, he noticed that the service door was locked from the inside.”
So there was another door on the ground floor, likely used as a staff entrance? As well as the security exit in the basement?

This reference to a "service door on the ground floor" is a bit confusing, and rises more questions, rather than answer them. Does that service door open from the street level directly into (the public area of) the restaurant/bar on the ground level, or to a "storage/staff area" separated from the rest of the establishment with yet another door (maybe a swing door)? The 'service door' would most likely have been used as a staff entrance, but probably also for deliveries to the bar. I must say I'm not used that a service door, especially if used for deliveries also, opens directly into an area where there are guests/patrons.

Was the service door also planned as an emergency exit, with a sign, and a lamp over the door? If it was planned as an emergency exit, what kind of handle/ lock did it have, and how was it possible to lock it from inside?

 

[Harchmare]

Crans, 34 ragazzi morti sulle scale. E spunta la legge "salva-Comune"

Il Viminale: "Agenti elvetici infastiditi dalla presenza di polizia italiana". Dal 1° gennaio una norma contro le responsabilità delle amministrazioni

www.ilgiornale.it

“Swiss identification department agents found them at the foot of the staircase leading from the ground floor to the basement of the Constellation, where the fire that caused the New Year's Eve tragedy broke out. The spot where the bodies of 34 of the 40 young people who lost their lives in the fire were found confirms that almost all of them died because they were unable to climb the staircase, which in 2015 had been reduced from three metres to one metre, becoming a death trap. 'Thirty-four were found near the wooden handrail, which was torn down by the weight of their bodies', while 'three were found on the pavement, having died just after reaching the exit of the club'.”

This is the article I mentioned above. They’re quoting an article in Blick, will look for it later:

“Yesterday, the Swiss newspaper Blick revealed that shortly before the massacre, at midnight on 1 January, 'eighty-six minutes before the fire', the new building law came into force in the canton of Valais, which would exclude municipalities from liability 'for damage resulting from the violation of the provisions of the law by building owners and their representatives'. The fatal footnote in Article 37 of the law could play a decisive role in the battle for millions in compensation for the injured and the families of the victims. It would be a travesty, given the admission by the mayor, Nicholas Feraud, that the premises had not been inspected, which should have been done annually but had not been done since 2019.”

 

[Herat]

Jacques Moretti will remain in custody for 90 more days.

Custody extended for owner of Swiss ski bar after deadly fire​

A judge in Switzerland has ordered that one of the two co-owners of the ski resort bar where 40 people died in a fire on New Year's Eve be kept in detention for 90 days.

Swiss prosecutors have argued that Jacques Moretti, a French national, is a potential flight risk. He and his wife Jessica, who is also French, are suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.

Custody extended for owner of Swiss deadly ski bar fire in Crans-Montana

Jacques Moretti is being held as a potential flight risk, Swiss media reports say.

www.bbc.com

 

[Herat]

This image shows the 2015 remodel of the stairs leading to the basement very clearly. It appears they narrowed both sides of the stairs with concrete block walls clad in wood.

The original staircase looks like it was perhaps 2X the width of the current one. Tragic.

The remodel images should be used in construction and planning classes to show what NEVER to do to a public business that regularly has high occupancy of inebriated people in a very small space, and for the Swiss government to review, institute, and demand compliance of safety regulations.

https://production-livingdocs-bluewin-ch.imgix.net/2026/01/03/718f8c2c-da3b-498b-ae49-df914831b322.jpeg?w=994&auto=format

 

[Gators North]

RSBM

Now I read in Polish MSM that:

"Switzerland will not accept assistance offered by Poland following the fire during a New Year's Eve party.
'The Swiss refused due to the distance and language barrier',
said the spokesman from the Burn Treatment Center in Siemianowice Śląskie
(one of the best centers in Poland providing comprehensive treatment for burns and chronic wounds)

'If the Swiss side changes its mind,
we are ready to accept patients',
the spokesman added."

Premier zaoferował pomoc po pożarze w szwajcarskim kurorcie. "Szwajcarzy odmówili"

Szwajcaria nie skorzysta z pomocy oferowanej przez Polskę w związku z pożarem podczas imprezy sylwestrowej, w którym zginęło 47 osób, a ponad 100 zostało rannych. - Szwajcarzy odmówili ze względu na dużą odległość i barierę językową - powiedziała w rozmowie z Interią Marta Stec z Centrum...

www.polsatnews.pl

Why would the Swiss refuse? That’s crazy. JMO

 

[Gators North]

Oh god, I hadn't seen that Charlie Hebdo cartoon before. That's absolutely vile.

Absolutely disgusting.

 

[detective.moon]

Why would the Swiss refuse? That’s crazy. JMO

i read that 21 countries have offered assistance: 18 for treatment, 9 for transport and 6 for experts. so i think it makes sense that they couldn’t accept all the help! i imagine french/italian/german speaking countries would be first choice so patients or their family could speak to the doctors in their native language, but it would be interesting to know how they decided.

EU, for Crans-Montana assistance to Switzerland from 21 European countries

In response to Switzerland’s request through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism regarding Crans-Montana, so far 24 patients have been transported to hospitals in Belgium, France, Germany and Italy.

europeannewsroom.com

 

[Gators North]

i read that 21 countries have offered assistance: 18 for treatment, 9 for transport and 6 for experts. so i think it makes sense that they couldn’t accept all the help! i imagine french/italian/german speaking countries would be first choice so patients or their family could speak to the doctors in their native language, but it would be interesting to know how they decided.

EU, for Crans-Montana assistance to Switzerland from 21 European countries

In response to Switzerland’s request through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism regarding Crans-Montana, so far 24 patients have been transported to hospitals in Belgium, France, Germany and Italy.

europeannewsroom.com

That makes a lot of sense! I guess the language barrier would be huge.

 

[detective.moon]

That makes a lot of sense! I guess the language barrier would be huge.

yeah, i think a lot of these young people and their families will probably speak english quite well, and all the doctors would speak english too, but in a hospital setting there might be some words that you don’t usually hear every day and it maybe just wouldn’t be as seamless and easier for misunderstandings to happen!

(i haven’t read anything about how they decided where the patients would go though, so this is all jmo)

 

[Herat]

yeah, i think a lot of these young people and their families will probably speak english quite well, and all the doctors would speak english too, but in a hospital setting there might be some words that you don’t usually hear every day and it maybe just wouldn’t be as seamless and easier for misunderstandings to happen!

(i haven’t read anything about how they decided where the patients would go though, so this is all jmo)

My guess is that there was not a lot of time to fully evaluate each individual case as there were so many who needed critical burn care, that they basically triaged those who were the most critical for more local Swiss, French, German, or Italian burn treatment centers and those who were in slightly better shape to go to Norway and such, as they could better tolerate the transportation time.

At the time after the accident, first-responders would not likely even know the nationality or languages of the gravely injured and there was just no time to try to match their nationality with the hospitals they were transferred to.

Burn patients are evaluated by the estimated % of skin / deep tissue burn and where those burns are, the head and neck usually being the worst location to treat easily.

It was truly a massive casualty event that would challenge even the most experienced first-responders.

 

[djanga]

As far as I understand, there is only one Italian still hospitalized in Zurich — Elsa Rubino — who will be transferred to Turin when her condition allows. Leonardo Bove was transferred from Switzerland to Milan yesterday, and his condition has been described as “extremely critical.” I am not sure about patients from other countries. Some interesting information about patients’ in Milan hospital condition:

"Like other hospitalized children, they are intubated, so they are essentially sedated and unable to respond to any possible stress. Their condition is very serious," the councilor remarked. "We also have one of them undergoing dialysis, having had a very serious infectious disease. Another child has asthma problems and, like everyone else, additional lung problems. Let's say that the most complicated issue today isn't so much the extensive and severe burns, but rather the lung conditions, because all these children have had to breathe in highly toxic substances that are now, unfortunately, taking over their lungs and creating a whole series of problems, especially infectious ones, that are extremely difficult to address," he said

Crans Montana, Bertolaso: "Leonardo Bove is in serious condition; at Niguarda, only one patient is out of danger."

Crans Montana, Bertolaso: "Leonardo Bove is in a serious condition, only one patient at Niguarda is out of danger." Read on Agenzia Nova.

www.agenzianova.com

 

[Herat]

As far as I understand, there is only one Italian still hospitalized in Zurich — Elsa Rubino — who will be transferred to Turin when her condition allows. Leonardo Bove was transferred from Switzerland to Milan yesterday, and his condition has been described as “extremely critical.” I am not sure about patients from other countries. Some interesting information about patients’ in Milan hospital condition:

"Like other hospitalized children, they are intubated, so they are essentially sedated and unable to respond to any possible stress. Their condition is very serious," the councilor remarked. "We also have one of them undergoing dialysis, having had a very serious infectious disease. Another child has asthma problems and, like everyone else, additional lung problems. Let's say that the most complicated issue today isn't so much the extensive and severe burns, but rather the lung conditions, because all these children have had to breathe in highly toxic substances that are now, unfortunately, taking over their lungs and creating a whole series of problems, especially infectious ones, that are extremely difficult to address," he said

Crans Montana, Bertolaso: "Leonardo Bove is in serious condition; at Niguarda, only one patient is out of danger."

Crans Montana, Bertolaso: "Leonardo Bove is in a serious condition, only one patient at Niguarda is out of danger." Read on Agenzia Nova.

www.agenzianova.com

The issue with the pulmonary problems is because unlike simple burning of wooden materials, the toxic fumes released as the polysyrene or polyurethane foam panels flameover and melt produce extremely toxic chemical smoke at up to 1000F. This severely damages the trachea and the lungs.

For those that survive, they will have lifelong challenges with their lungs, kidneys and liver, and this is even on top of the long and very painful care they must undergo with debridement, wound dressing changes, and the constant threat of infections from their burns.

 

[Dotta]

"Winter Olympics ​

Swiss resort Crans-Montana, ​

scene of fatal bar fire, ​

will be an Olympic venue in 2038.​

2038
- IOC grants Switzerland privileged status as only bidder.
- Crans-Montana to host Winter Games’ alpine ski racing.

Less than a fortnight after the blaze at Le Constellation that killed 40 and injured 116 other people,
officials for the bid have said
that the municipality is a key site
in their proposals for the Games in 12 years’ time."

Swiss resort Crans-Montana, scene of fatal bar fire, will be an Olympic venue in 2038

The Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, the scene of a fatal bar fire on New Year’s Day, is set to host the alpine ski races at the 2038 Winter Olympics

www.theguardian.com

 

[Harchmare]

“The transfers involved both foreign nationals and Swiss patients. For the latter, priority was given to hospitals located as close as possible to Switzerland. Language and any family ties in the destination country were also taken into account. The transfers were carried out with the consent of the relatives.”

Incendie à Crans-Montana : 35 patients ont pu être transférés vers des cliniques spécialisées en Belgique, en Allemagne, en France et en Italie dans le cadre du mécanisme européen de protection civile

www.bafu.admin.ch

It may also have depended on what care the hospitals specialise in. I know 7 patients are in Belgium and 12 in italy. Possibly 16 in France and 7 in Germany. In Switzerland, between 29-34. 80 in total are still in hospital. The numbers don’t add up but they keep varying depending on the source.

 

[Harchmare]

Maps

The daily map provides an overview of a significant event or situation on a daily basis. The maps are related to DG ECHO humanitarian and civil protection interventions or depict events that are expected to have humanitarian consequences.

erccportal.jrc.ec.europa.eu

Map provided by the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), showing the situation on 8th January.

 

[Herat]

“The transfers involved both foreign nationals and Swiss patients. For the latter, priority was given to hospitals located as close as possible to Switzerland. Language and any family ties in the destination country were also taken into account. The transfers were carried out with the consent of the relatives.”

Incendie à Crans-Montana : 35 patients ont pu être transférés vers des cliniques spécialisées en Belgique, en Allemagne, en France et en Italie dans le cadre du mécanisme européen de protection civile

www.bafu.admin.ch

It may also have depended on what care the hospitals specialise in. I know 7 patients are in Belgium and 12 in italy. Possibly 16 in France and 7 in Germany. In Switzerland, between 29-34. 80 in total are still in hospital. The numbers don’t add up but they keep varying depending on the source.

I agree this likely happened with some, but many may have been unconscious or too critically ill to speak

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2011012567078957389