Switzerland - "Several dozen" dead and about 100 injured in explosion in bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss ski resort, 1 January 2026

[detective.moon]

Indeed, in the last twenty-five years, similar fires have occurred in the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Argentina, the USA, Ecuador, China and Brazil. Around 1,000 people have died in such fires.

in my brothers university there were some students with burn marks all over - they had survived the café fire in the netherlands. there was actually a memorial service this morning, because it happened exactly 25 years ago! very similar, it seems. people were holding sparklers inside the café on new years night, they held them too close to the ceiling, the christmas decorations (pine branches) that were still up caught fire. and there too, a lot of panic because getting out of the place wasn’t as easy as it should have been.

one thing i remember is that some of the burn victims were put in coma, and it was only when they woke up 10 days later they realised the disaster that had happened.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Sixteen Italians missing and up to 15 injured, says foreign ministry​

15:34​

The Italian Foreign Ministry tells the BBC 16 Italian nationals are currently missing following the fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.

A spokesperson for the ministry says between 12 and 15 others have been located in hospital and are currently receiving treatment.

Three of them have suffered "severe burns" and will be transported to Italy shortly, they add.

Switzerland ski fire latest: Around 40 people confirmed dead and 115 injured

Many young people are believed to be among the victims; one student tells the BBC he arrived at the bar expecting to celebrate, only to find a scene of chaos.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[steeltowngirl]

RSBM

And as they crowded the stair, they may have deprived the basement of available oxygen to feed the burgeoning fire. But once oxygen was able to flood in, the flashover and explosion occurred.

I am still looking for photos of the basement that clearly show one or more windows. According to the Guardian article I linked above, the owners of the venue have taken down the site’s social media pages.

Oxygen from opened windows may have fueled the flashover. Horrific.

Some people smashed windows to let in air,' she said. 'I'm still shaking; many were crying as they left. It was mass panic.'

Moment ceiling catches fire, killing 47 people at Swiss club

Witnesses described seeing people burning and suffocating to death as they raced to escape the 'horror movie'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I was curious about the "sparklers" reported to be the cause of the fire and did some digging.

Basically, they are similar to what we Brits would call a Roman Candle firework and seem to be known in the US as "wedding sparklers". They have a spike to stick them into a cake or can be taped to a champagne or other bottle. As you can see from the photo below, they project a stream of sparks a foot or more.

Bottle Sparklers For Nightclubs, Restaurants and Bars – Wedding Sparklers Now

Transform any bottle of champagne or sparkling wine into a dazzling centerpiece with our gold bottle sparklers. These safe and easy-to-use gold sparklers create a shower of golden sparks that will light up your celebrations and leave your guests in awe and last up to 50 seconds. Enjoy up to...

weddingsparklersnow.com

"The average wedding sparkler will typically last anywhere from 30 seconds up to 4 minutes. The length of the sparkler, along with the quality of materials are the main factors that influence how long they will burn."

How Long Do Wedding Sparklers Last? [What To Expect]

Are you in the process of planning a sparkling send-off? Perhaps you are researching wedding sparklers and want to know how long they will typically last when lit? Either way, this is essential information to

everlastingoccasion.com

I know I'm an old fart and can remember the last ice age, but when I was a child this sort of thing would never have been used indoors. Fireworks were strictly for outdoor use.

 

[dotr]

'I hid from a wall of heat': Eyewitnesses describe escape from Swiss bar inferno

One young man told the BBC he went into the bar to look for his little brother, who he thought was inside.

ca.news.yahoo.com

"I saw people burning... I found people burning from head to foot, no clothes anymore," he said, adding: "It was very shocking." His brother was unharmed.
"I went in this bar every day this week - the day I didn't go, it burned," he said.''

"In a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was ablaze. Everything was made of wood," they said, adding that the flames "started to rise very quickly".

Evacuation was "very difficult", Emma and Albane said, because the escape route out of the room they were in was "narrow" and the stairs leading outside were "even narrower".

''Another teenager who was inside the bar told the BBC how he was forced to hide from a "wall of heat" before managing to escape up the stairs.

Still, he could not get out so tried to break a window with a table. But it was only when he used his foot to smash through the glass that he was able to make it out alive.''

 

[Yellowbelly]

To be fair, I don't recall having seen confirmation that acoustic foam was in situ but was merely conjecturing on the basis of similar fires. Multi-floor venues like this often have a disco- or pub- type set up on one floor and a more sophisticated lounge-bar one in on another. Typically we see the disco-type set up either in a basement or on a higher floor with the more prestigious offering at street level.

Unfortunately I suspect this tragedy will come down to booze, exuberance and stupidity.

Ok, fair enough. There was clearly something about the ceiling that meant it turned out to be highly flammable, though, given the speed with which it ignited.

 

[Parsnip]

I know I'm an old fart and can remember the last ice age, but when I was a child this sort of thing would never have been used indoors. Fireworks were strictly for outdoor use.

I only remember back to the Bronze Age, but same!!

OTOH, my sister’s quilt had burn holes from smoking in bed, so…..

 

[dotr]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/bar-fire-switzerland-ski-resort-9.7031863

''Dubois also noted how brave many of the victims were while the tragedy was unfolding.
"There were many who were very strong, who stayed strong and who understood that their life was in grave danger, but decided that mentally it was more important to stay calm," he said.''

'The area has been completely closed off, and a no-fly zone has been imposed over Crans-Montana, which is due to host next year's Alpine World Ski Championships, police said earlier in a statement.'

• 

  Switzerland ski fire latest: Around 40 people killed and 115 injured in New Year fire at Swiss bar, police say

  Many of the injured are in a "severe" condition, officials say, as the Swiss president calls the fire "one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced".

  www.bbc.com
• ''Warning: This post contains distressing details and graphic descriptions

Eighteen-year-old Alexis says he was outside Le Constellation bar when he first spotted the fire "through the glass doors".
"It was a real flame coming out," he tells Swiss broadcaster RTS. "It was coming out and... in fact, people were running through these flames."
"You could see the shadows. People were trying to break the glass with chairs in the bar."
Another witness, 21-year-old Alex, tells RTS he had just arrived outside the bar when the first fire victims started rushing out.
"I saw someone in their underwear, burned," Alex says. "That's when I realised there was definitely something wrong."
He recalls a "smell of gas, of melted plastic, a very unpleasant mixture. And then half a dozen burned people came out."
Alex says "it sent a chill down my spine to think that there were possibly still fifty people trapped inside".

''Asked if they know roughly how many people were in the bar at the time of the fire, municipality president of Crans-Montana Nicolas Féraud says "not at all".

 

[Chimera]

Rest in gentle peace to all of those dear souls lost.
Prayers for those with unimaginable pain from their injuries.

Have been getting some flashbacks of the documentary I watched about the Rhode Island tragedy.
Lessons should have been learned from that avoidable horror, imo !

From reading articles in msm, and posts here, it doesn't sound like there was any sprinkler system in place ?
Omo.

 

[Dotta]

"47 dead in Swiss deathtrap.

A Swiss nightclub
where at least 47 people were killed and 115 injured
had been rated just 6.5 out of 10 for safety,
with a combination of flammable interiors
and limited escape routes
now emerging as key factors in the deadly blaze.

The basement venue, Le Constellation in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana,
was fitted with wooden furnishings
and foam-style ceiling material
and had only one narrow staircase for revellers trying to escape.

Investigators said the fire rapidly intensified into a flashover,
when extreme heat caused everything inside the enclosed space to ignite almost at once,
leaving people little chance to flee."

Deadly fire in Swiss club with 6.5/10 for safety where 47 died

The basement venue, Le Constellation in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, was fitted with wooden furnishings and foam-style ceiling material and had only one narrow staircase.

www.dailymail.co.uk

IMO
It is very important to be careful what kind of place we set foot into.
Mind your safety folks.
JMO

 

[MelmothTheLost]

From Corriere della Sera (Italian newspaper):

Secondo alcune fonti era in corso una festa riservata agli under 17. «Molti ragazzi sono usciti dal locale insanguinati, alcuni senza vestiti. Una vera carneficina», ha detto una testimone.

According to some sources, a party for under-17s was taking place. Many kids emerged from the place covered in blood, some without their clothes. A real bloodbath, a witness said.

Svizzera, esplosione al locale Le Constellation di Crans-Montana: «Oltre quaranta morti, un centinaio di feriti. Era una festa di Capodanno per under 17»

L'incendio nel seminterrato del «Le Constellation» durante la festa di Capodanno: il locale può ospitare fino a 400 persone. Un centinaio quelle che erano ancora nel ristorante

www.corriere.it

It sounds as though most of the dead and injured are going to be teenagers.

It also reports that 6 Italians are missing and 13 others are in hospital.

 

[Chimera]

"47 dead in Swiss deathtrap.

A Swiss nightclub
where at least 47 people were killed and 115 injured
had been rated just 6.5 out of 10 for safety,
with a combination of flammable interiors
and limited escape routes
now emerging as key factors in the deadly blaze.

The basement venue, Le Constellation in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana,
was fitted with wooden furnishings
and foam-style ceiling material
and had only one narrow staircase for revellers trying to escape.

Investigators said the fire rapidly intensified into a flashover,
when extreme heat caused everything inside the enclosed space to ignite almost at once,
leaving people little chance to flee."

Deadly fire in Swiss club with 6.5/10 for safety where 47 died

The basement venue, Le Constellation in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, was fitted with wooden furnishings and foam-style ceiling material and had only one narrow staircase.

www.dailymail.co.uk

IMO
It is very important to be careful what kind of place we set foot into.
Mind your safety folks.
JMO

Purple bolding mine.
Hmmm.
Like the Rhode Island soundproofing foam ?
Imo.

CNN.com - Seller: Club bought foam that wasn't flame-resistant - Feb. 28, 2003

WEST WARWICK, Rhode Island (CNN) --"... The owners of The Station nightclub, where a fire killed dozens of people last week, bought soundproofing foam that was not flame-resistant, a foam company said Friday...."

 

[NuttMegg]

In Switzerland of all places. That was my first thought.

 

[Spectrix]

This is horrifying. Sadly the death toll is likely to slowly rise as more of those folk die from complications caused by the initial burns. The skin is our largest organ, and while severe burns are often fatal, it can be a horribly slow death over days, weeks or even months

• Burn shock
• Severe infection / Sepsis
• Respiratory Failure
• Multi organ failure
• Systemic inflammatory response / Cytokine storm

 

[Rikissa]

I was curious about the "sparklers" reported to be the cause of the fire and did some digging.

Basically, they are similar to what we Brits would call a Roman Candle firework and seem to be known in the US as "wedding sparklers". They have a spike to stick them into a cake or can be taped to a champagne or other bottle. As you can see from the photo below, they project a stream of sparks a foot or more.
<snip>
"The average wedding sparkler will typically last anywhere from 30 seconds up to 4 minutes. The length of the sparkler, along with the quality of materials are the main factors that influence how long they will burn."
<snip>
I know I'm an old fart and can remember the last ice age, but when I was a child this sort of thing would never have been used indoors. Fireworks were strictly for outdoor use.

I'm not used to those sparklers in post #44, but I do remember sparklers that was used in Christmas trees (sometimes together with live candles), or they was held in the hands on New Year's Eve, from back in the 1960s. I've also seen similar brought in on cakes, or ice cream, in restaurants. See the first photo in this Wikipedia article.

Sparkler - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I'm not used to those sparklers in post #44, but I do remember sparklers that was used in Christmas trees (sometimes together with live candles), or they was held in the hands on New Year's Eve, from back in the 1960s. I've also seen similar brought in on cakes, or ice cream, in restaurants. See the first photo in this Wikipedia article.

Sparkler - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

These are the traditional sparklers that are lit and waved about in the UK for Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes. I'm not aware of them being used here for other events or celebrations but I may be out of date.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

This is horrifying. Sadly the death toll is likely to slowly rise as more of those folk die from complications caused by the initial burns. The skin is our largest organ, and while severe burns are often fatal, it can be a horribly slow death over days, weeks or even months

• Burn shock
• Severe infection / Sepsis
• Respiratory Failure
• Multi organ failure
• Systemic inflammatory response / Cytokine storm

Indeed. Things may not be much better for the survivors. Imagine having to tell a 17-year old girl that she only has half a face and her hands don't work.

 

[musicaljoke]

Mistakes obviously were made (and responbility for the lack of safety will be determined), but it is also true that it was an accident.
jmopinion

No accident about it.

But if you mean that there was no malice intended, then I agree. It was a horror waiting to happen and the guests didn't see coming.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

My condolences to the families of the deceased and wishing strength to the survivors

But the survivors are allowed to feel weak.
They are allowed to be weak, sad, angry, devastated, depressed, anxious, shocked. They may feel anything and everything they feel.

Mistakes obviously were made (and responbility for the lack of safety will be determined), but it is also true that it was an accident.
jmopinion

I am so angry on behalf of all the victims and thejr families. It wasn't an accident, IMO, because it was negligence.

 

[Dotta]

In Switzerland of all places. That was my first thought.

Switzerland is not in EU.

Norms in European Union are strict:

"Standard rigors for clubs and venues:

Club owners must meet the so-called
'seven-layer security model'
promoted by the EU:

- Occupancy limits:
Strictly adhere to the allowed number of guests to avoid panic.

- Escape routes:
Must be unobstructed at all times, emergency lit and clearly marked in accordance with ISO/EN standards.

- Active systems:
Mandatory inspections of fire extinguishers, hydrants and smoke removal systems
(often required to update the instructions every 2 years).

- Staff training:
Employees must undergo regular training in evacuation and the use of firefighting equipment."

From my country belonging to European Union:

Solid Security

Solid Security działa na polskim rynku od 1991r. Świadczymy usługi w zakresie ochrony stacjonarnej, monitoringu i systemów alarmowych. Zapraszamy!

solidsecurity.pl