Swiss New Year’s Eve Bar Fire Likely Sparked by Ceiling-Hit Sparklers
Dozens of young revelers suffered severe burns in a deadly New Year’s Eve fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, with at least 40 confirmed dead and 119 injured—many critically—as survivors were airlifted to burn units across Europe.
Local prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud revealed initial findings point to sparkler “fountain candles” on champagne bottles carried too close to the ceiling, igniting a rapid blaze possibly worsened by insulation foam.
Victim Identification and Transfers
Authorities face a grim, drawn-out process identifying charred remains, with final tallies pending. Valais chief Mathias Reynard noted many injured still fight for life, including 50 transferred to specialized centers in Germany, France, and beyond. Identified patients include 71 Swiss, 14 French, 11 Italians, and others from Serbia, Bosnia, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, and Luxembourg.
Eyewitness Accounts and Tributes
Survivor Axel recounted flipping a table for cover in the basement inferno, breaking a window to escape amid choking smoke and a bottlenecked exit. Families search desperately: a Milan group lost 20 friends, Italy reports 13 hospitalized and 6 missing, France 8 unaccounted for.
First named victim: 16-year-old Italian golfer Emanuele Galeppini. Vigils grew outside the cordoned site, with locals like 18-year-old Emma grateful to have skipped the crowded queue.
