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

[NuttMegg]

My guess is that there are two general ways the sparklers were brought into the club:

1. Management decided to incorperate them into the New Years Eve fun and made them part of the night ala sparkler enhanced Champagne bottles that are distributed at midnight.

2. Individual reveler(s) or employees impulsively smuggle one, or more sparklers into the club with out management knowing. There are plenty of sparklers variations that would be hard for metal detectors to find and would also slip by moderate pat down type searches. At midnight, the sparklers are lit and paraded around.

Earlier reports leaned towards option 2 as they described one couple with a sparkler. This report, however, suggests that a number of Champagne bottles specifically had been enhanced with sparklers. That could point towards option 1.

They have sparklers in promotional videos (above in this thread) I don't think it's new or hidden from the owners. I hope they don't blame it on a waitress.

 

[Dotta]

They have sparklers in prromotional videos (above in this thread) I don't think it's new or hidden from the owners. I hope they don't blame it on a waitress.

Also
I pity the staff wearing masks/helmets.
Jeez!!!
How uncomfortable!!

 

[MelmothTheLost]

with what we know now, it’s so odd to see people still dancing and laughing and filming while the ceiling is on fire. i remember being when i was that age i wouldn’t really see the risks of things, would feel like nothing bad would happen to me, and a lot of people there probably being very drunk probably doesn’t help either! and there’s probably something about other people acting like things are fine that makes people think they don’t have to worry? still it’s very unsettling.

Is this a young-people-and-their-phones-and-social-media thing to think "Oooh, fire. Let me film it for TikTok" instead of getting the hell out of there?

 

[Dotta]

Is this a young-people-and-their-phones-and-social-media thing to think "Oooh, fire. Let me film it for TikTok" instead of getting the hell out of there?

This was the only moment to get the hell out of this trap
Seconds before apocalypse.
Run!!!
Run as fast as your legs can carry you.

"Lost seconds"

https://twitter.com/x/status/2007100597720268937

 

[Rikissa]

From the article above -

Establishments with a capacity of up to 100 people must have an exit with a minimum clearance of 1.20 meters. For establishments with a capacity of up to 1,000 people, at least two independent exits are required.

How many people were down in the basement bar? If it was more than 100, then it would appear that somebody has broken the rules.

In the link below there's mentioned that there were an emergency exit in addition to the main staircase, but because of the smoke people had difficulties to find it.
So there were two independent exits in the bar.
The comment is posted at 16.11 CET, "'Many people were not able to find the exits': security chief"

Switzerland resort fire ‘likely started by sparklers in champagne bottles’, says attorney general – as it happened

Officials say 40 people were killed and 119 injured, with some in hospital still unidentified due to ‘horrific’ injuries

www.theguardian.com

A question to all here, when you visit an establishment, be it a cinema, a restaurant, a nightclub, or someplace else, do you take notice, or check out, where the closest emergency exit(s) is/are?

 

[NuttMegg]

In the link below there's mentioned that there were an emergency exit in addition to the main staircase, but because of the smoke people had difficulties to find it.
So there were two independent exits in the bar.
The comment is posted at 16.11 CET, "'Many people were not able to find the exits': security chief"

Switzerland resort fire ‘likely started by sparklers in champagne bottles’, says attorney general – as it happened

Officials say 40 people were killed and 119 injured, with some in hospital still unidentified due to ‘horrific’ injuries

www.theguardian.com

A question to all here, when you visit an establishment, be it a cinema, a restaurant, a nightclub, or someplace else, do you take notice, or check out, where the closest emergency exit(s) is/are?

I do now, but more from random gun violence. I always sit with my back to the wall in restaurants. Aisle seats in cinema, airplanes.

 

[Dotta]

In the link below there's mentioned that there were an emergency exit in addition to the main staircase, but because of the smoke people had difficulties to find it.
So there were two independent exits in the bar.
The comment is posted at 16.11 CET, "'Many people were not able to find the exits': security chief"

Switzerland resort fire ‘likely started by sparklers in champagne bottles’, says attorney general – as it happened

Officials say 40 people were killed and 119 injured, with some in hospital still unidentified due to ‘horrific’ injuries

www.theguardian.com

A question to all here, when you visit an establishment, be it a cinema, a restaurant, a nightclub, or someplace else, do you take notice, or check out, where the closest emergency exit(s) is/are?

This is the first time I hear about the second exit.

So.....

- The emergency exit must be seen by clients
and have the unobstructed path to it.

- If the place is dark
the exit must be illuminated to be seen.

Clear Signage & Lighting:
Illuminated, photoluminescent, or glow-in-the-dark signs with universal symbols and arrows point the way, even with smoke or power loss.

- Staff must be trained to carry out evacuation/lead the clients to emergency exit.

It is not the matter that a client must look for it/check for it.

It should be visible to anybody in a place.

JMO

 

[detective.moon]

translated from a swiss live blog that has been covering the press conference:

Valais police commander Frédéric Gisler takes the floor. He says that 119 people were injured, 113 of whom have been identified. Six injured persons have not yet been identified. Regarding the nationalities of the injured, he says:

71 persons from Switzerland
14 from France
11 from Italy
4 from Serbia
1 from Bosnia
1 from Luxembourg
1 from Poland
1 from Belgium
1 from Portugal

The nationality of 14 persons is still unknown.

Regarding the number of injured persons whose nationality is not yet known (14), the police commander says that the names of some of these persons are known. This explains the discrepancy with the number of six persons who have not yet been identified.

The death toll stands at 40.

Katastrophe in Crans-Montana - 71 Schweizer unter Verletzten ++ Wunderkerzen lösten Brand aus

Während einer Silvesterparty in einer Bar in Crans-Montana sind mehrere Dutzend Menschen tödlich verletzt worden.

www.srf.ch

edit to add: the live blog also reports about a 15 year old girl from greece who is still missing

 

[detective.moon]

more from the press conference:

Another journalist asks several questions: What were the discussions with the two operators about, and how many people were present that evening? Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud replies that the bar operators were questioned, but she does not comment on the content of the discussions. No information can be provided yet on the number of participants, partly because it is a bar where people come and go.

A journalist asks when the bar was last inspected. “Responsibility lies with the municipality,” replies Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud. “I cannot tell you when the last inspection took place.”

Pilloud is also unable to say at this stage whether the bar's ceiling was approved. But the investigation will look into this.

[…]

A journalist asks whether there are any short-term efforts to increase safety in bars and club chalets. For example, could sparklers be banned indoors for a certain period of time?

“The most important thing right now is the investigation,” replies Beatrice Pilloud. Before such measures are taken, it is important to determine who is responsible. The sparklers could be bought in any store.

Do sparklers require a permit?

A journalist asks whether a permit is required to use sparklers. Beatrice Pilloud says that anyone can freely purchase sparklers. The question of whether they can be used in an enclosed space will be determined by the investigation.

Katastrophe in Crans-Montana - 71 Schweizer unter Verletzten ++ Wunderkerzen lösten Brand aus

Während einer Silvesterparty in einer Bar in Crans-Montana sind mehrere Dutzend Menschen tödlich verletzt worden.

www.srf.ch

 

[Baciagalupo]

So many young people, whole groups of young people missing. This is so horrible. Apparently three burn victims are being treated in Germany but not all haven't been identified yet.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

This is the first time I hear about the second exit.

So.....

- The emergency exit must be seen by clients
with unobstructed path to it.

There has been mention of there being a terrace area. It's not entirely clear but I think that is not the terrace in front of the venue at street level so is presumably a terrace at the back of the basement, beyond the island bar area and at the opposite end of the space to the stairs up to the main floor area. It's possible that the second terrace is used in the warmer months as an extension to the downstairs bar but was not obvious to those in the basement. On the other hand, there was reference to "windows" being opened which caused an inflow of oxygen which caused the fire to flare up and spread very suddenly. Those "windows" could have been folding or patio doors to the terrace.

I would imagine that nobody realised there was an escape route through those doors and that everyone stampeded towards and up the stairs that they had entered by.

 

[Dotta]

There has been mention of the there being a terrace area. It's not entirely clear but I think that is not the terrace in front of the venue at street level so is presumably a terrace at the back of the basement, beyond the island bar area and at the opposite end of the space to the stairs up to the main floor area. It's possible that the second terrace is used in the warmer months as an extension to the downstairs bar but was not obvious to those in the basement. On the other hand, there was reference to "windows" being opened which caused an inflow of oxygen which caused the fire to flare up and spread very suddenly. Those "windows" could have been folding or patio doors to the terrace.

I would imagine that nobody realised there was an escape route through those doors and that everyone stampeded towards and up the stairs that they had entered by.

But that is the staff's task to organize evacuation.
There are trainings
- well, at least in my place of work, which is a school.
We have trainings every year with the whole school being evacuated within mere minutes.
Every teacher knows the route by heart from whatever classroom and whatever floor (3).
We train under the strict glare of Fire Department Officers.
No Mercy!
I was once reprimanded for a slight mistake.
Aaaaargh!!!!
I never made it again!
I can do it now with closed eyes and with kids in tow.
And the pupils know the routes too

JMO

Oh, to add...
During these vital minutes
we have to count our pupils and make sure nobody is missing (in bathroom or corridor).
Children go in pairs in orderly manner.
(Absolutely no running to avoid accidents, like broken legs, etc.)
Everybody must stay with her/his class as we count them again outside.
But...
Practice makes Perfect!

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2007134230636093457

"Charlotte Niddam, who previously attended Immanuel College - a private Jewish school in Hertfordshire - is one of the two named people confirmed as missing.

The schoolgirl, believed to be 15,
has not been heard from since a fire tore through a packed bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

A statement issued by Immanuel College confirmed Charlotte was missing.

'We are reaching out with an urgent request for our school community to come together in support of Charlotte Niddam.
Charlotte was a student at Immanuel College,
and her family have now moved back to France.

The families have asked that we all keep them in our thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time.

We are all praying for a miracle for Charlotte and the others,
and want the families to feel the full strength of the Immanuel College community's support'."

 

[detective.moon]

a small nice message!

the very similar fires in gothenborg and in the netherlands had already been mentioned in this thread. apparently after the fire in the netherlands, the dutch victims received a lot of support from swedish victims who knew what it had been like. over the years they have stayed in touch and visited each other. they now want to be there for the victims in the recent fire, if they want to talk to people who know what it’s like (and who have lived with it for a long time now)

Volendam vol afschuw na nieuwjaarsbrand in Zwitserland: "Hoe kan dit nu wéér gebeuren?"

Volendammers bieden hulp aan slachtoffers cafébrand Zwitserland na herdenking eigen nieuwjaarsbrand. 'Bizar dat dit weer gebeurt.' Lees het verhaal.

www.nhnieuws.nl

 

[Serononin]

I've also seen these being used in restaurants for birthday celebrations or even in cocktails. As a person scared by the 80's adverts for sparkler safety around bonfire night, they make me extremely nervous. I can't imagine thinking it would be safe to start moving an object around with one in, especially in a flammable building! But high spirits and alcohol cause people to make devastating decisions.

Same, I have a photo of me on my 7th birthday looking terrified by a sparkler that the restaurant put in my ice cream as a surprise

 

[PrairieWind]

My guess is that there are two general ways the sparklers were brought into the club:

1. Management decided to incorperate them into the New Years Eve fun and made them part of the night ala sparkler enhanced Champagne bottles that are distributed at midnight.

2. Individual reveler(s) or employees impulsively smuggle one, or more sparklers into the club with out management knowing. There are plenty of sparklers variations that would be hard for metal detectors to find and would also slip by moderate pat down type searches. At midnight, the sparklers are lit and paraded around.

Earlier reports leaned towards option 2 as they described one couple with a sparkler. This report, however, suggests that a number of Champagne bottles specifically had been enhanced with sparklers. That could point towards option 1.

As already mentioned, the sparklers in the champagne bottles something that this club does regularly. Their promotional videos show the waitresses carrying these sparkler bottles often. So this is something that the Club owner/management authorizes I think.
I think that is crazy. It may look cool, but sparklers burn at about 2,000 degrees F or 1,000 C. That is dangerous indoors, crowded, with people who have been drinking. Add in the flammable acoustic ceiling and you have recipe (almost guaranty) of eventual disaster.

 

[Serononin]

In the link below there's mentioned that there were an emergency exit in addition to the main staircase, but because of the smoke people had difficulties to find it.
So there were two independent exits in the bar.
The comment is posted at 16.11 CET, "'Many people were not able to find the exits': security chief"

Switzerland resort fire ‘likely started by sparklers in champagne bottles’, says attorney general – as it happened

Officials say 40 people were killed and 119 injured, with some in hospital still unidentified due to ‘horrific’ injuries

www.theguardian.com

A question to all here, when you visit an establishment, be it a cinema, a restaurant, a nightclub, or someplace else, do you take notice, or check out, where the closest emergency exit(s) is/are?

BBM

Absolutely. I really had the fear of god put into me by a fire safety talk in my first week of university. The guy giving the talk described flashover in great detail, and played security footage from a music venue fire (also started by pyrotechnics ) that showed people trampling over each other trying to get to the exit... at the time I felt like it was irresponsible of him to show something so graphic with no warning (and tbh I still think that a little bit), but I can't deny that it was extremely effective

 

[Rikissa]

But that is the staff's task to organize evacuation.
There are trainings
- well, at least in my place of work, which is a school.
We have trainings every year with the whole school being evacuated within mere minutes.
Every teacher knows the route by heart from whatever classroom and whatever floor (3).
We train under the strict glare of Fire Department Officers.
No Mercy!
I was once reprimanded for a slight mistake.
Aaaaargh!!!!
I never made it again!
I can do it now with closed eyes and with kids in tow.
And the pupils know the routes too

JMO

Oh, to add...
During these vital minutes
we have to count our pupils and make sure nobody is missing (in bathroom or corridor).
Children go in pairs in orderly manner.
(Absolutely no running to avoid accidents, like broken legs, etc.)
But...
Practice makes Perfect!

Yes, it's the task of the staff to organize evacuation in a situation like this, and it's the owner/employer who should see to that the staff know what to do. In this case we do not know anything about those who worked there that night, how old where they? Were they full-time employees there, or just there for a short time? How much training had they regarding security and fire prevention?
I don't know how it is in Switzerland, but in Sweden many young people go and work as waitstaff in restaurants and bars in the Swedish ski resorts in the winter, skiing during the days, and working part-time evenings/nights to be able to stay there for the skiing. I wouldn't be surprised if some, or perhaps most, of those working in the bar that night were young, and were only there for the winter season, and maybe not very familiar with the bar.
I read in a Swedish newspaper that there were at least one bouncer there, who had been called in that evening, and that man was missing, his friends were searching to find out if he's alive (the article is locked now).

I'm not trying to find excuses for what those in the staff working in the bar did or didn't do correctly that night, it's just because there are regulations and rules written down how things should be handled, the reality of how things are done doesn't always meet those regulations.

 

[PrairieWind]

Also
I pity the staff wearing masks/helmets.
Jeez!!!
How uncomfortable!!

I don't understand the helmet thing either. sort of kinky maybe. I doubt they are really uncomfortable though. I'd rather wear that helmet than one of the News Eve cone hats with the elastic strap.

 

[Dotta]

Yes, it's the task of the staff to organize evacuation in a situation like this, and it's the owner/employer who should see to that the staff know what to do. In this case we do not know anything about those who worked there that night, how old where they? Were they full-time employees there, or just there for a short time? How much training had they regarding security and fire prevention?
I don't know how it is in Switzerland, but in Sweden many young people go and work as waitstaff in restaurants and bars in the Swedish ski resorts in the winter, skiing during the days, and working part-time evenings/nights to be able to stay there for the skiing. I wouldn't be surprised if some, or perhaps most, of those working in the bar that night were young, and were only there for the winter season, and maybe not very familiar with the bar.
I read in a Swedish newspaper that there were at least one bouncer there, who had been called in that evening, and that man was missing, his friends were searching to find out if he's alive (the article is locked now).

I'm not trying to find excuses for what those in the staff working in the bar did or didn't do correctly that night, it's just because there are regulations and rules written down how things should be handled, the reality of how things are done doesn't always meet those regulations.

Working in service-sector job,
working with people/customers
is very demanding.
And I mean - VERY demanding.

I'm not sure folks realize it.

It is stressful with constant pressure, dealing with difficult clients
and solving problems in crisis situations.

Staff must take responsibility for customers in crisis situations happening at work place.
And must be adequately trained to cope.

And this is management's task to organize relevant trainings.
No excuses, sorry.

Otherwise, only chaos reigns.

As we can see following this tragedy, unfortunately

JMO