A Night of Horror: How a Swiss Ski Resort Turned into an Inferno
The clock had just struck one in the morning on New Year's Day, and the party in Le Constellation, a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, was in full swing. The young crowd, including teenagers and twenty-somethings, was revelling in the thumping hip-hop music. But little did they know, a horror was about to unfold.
Le Constellation, with its cavernous space, TV screens on the top floor, and a basement with low lighting and a dancefloor, was a popular spot for locals and visitors alike. However, on that fateful night, it became the scene of a devastating fire that claimed the lives of dozens and left many more injured.
Two witnesses reported seeing a bartender carrying a female staff member on his shoulders, who was holding a champagne bottle with a lit sparkler or flare near the wooden ceiling above the bar area. An unverified photo posted on social media showed a white flame coming from a magnum of champagne. Others speculated that charcoal for shisha pipes may have spilled, igniting the flames.
The fire spread rapidly, turning the basement bar into an inferno. Video footage, also unverified, showed people fleeing the venue, silhouetted by the fire, while the music continued to play. Some patrons attempted to extinguish the flames using their sweaters, a desperate measure in the face of the rapidly escalating blaze.
The fire officials described it as an 'embrasement généralisé', a term for a fire that releases combustible gases, triggering a violent ignition, known as a flashover or backdraft in English-speaking contexts. The fire turned Le Constellation into a blazing inferno, with the whole ceiling in flames and the fire spreading in seconds.
The sudden and intense nature of the fire led some to believe it was an explosion. Screams and cries filled the basement as people tried to escape. Many rushed towards a door leading to a narrow flight of stairs, while others smashed windows that turned black and opaque. Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris, felt as if he was suffocating and used a table to push a plexiglass pane out of its casing, allowing him to flee the chaos.
From the street, people rushed to help. One man, who thought his little brother was inside, tried to break a window to help others exit. He saw people 'burning from head to foot, no clothes any more'. Some witnesses likened the scene to a horror film, with Dominic Dubois describing an appalling spectacle as flames engulfed the venue, creating an orange, yellow, and red inferno.
Police arrived at 1.32 am, two minutes after reports of smoke. Bystanders and first responders worked together to pull people from the oven-like temperatures into the cold outside, using restaurant curtains to warm them. A UBS bank branch opened its doors to offer refuge, with tables pushed aside to make space for people to enter and warm up.
As news spread, parents and relatives of those inside the bar made their way to the scene. Samuel Rapp, a local resident, described a harrowing scene with people screaming and lying on the ground, possibly dead. He saw videos of revellers trampling each other to escape, with people shouting for help.
Dozens of the injured, many in serious condition, were swiftly taken to hospitals in the Valais canton. More than a dozen were taken to Zurich university hospital, 150 miles away. A hospital in Lausanne treated 22 patients, with ages ranging from 16 to 26. Hospitals in neighbouring countries are expected to treat some victims.
The death toll stood at 40, with 115 injured, according to the Valais canton police commander, Frédéric Gisler. The community was devastated, but no details were given about the ages or nationalities of the dead.
By 1 pm, the bright sunshine illuminated an incongruous scene in the centre of Crans-Montana: fake reindeer and Christmas decorations amid emergency vehicles, posters for New Year's parties, and huddles of hushed bystanders. Switzerland's president, Guy Parmelin, visited the scene, where forensic teams worked behind white screens. Families were still awaiting news of their loved ones, with some not yet knowing if their children had died.
Switzerland will fly flags at half-mast for five days, Parmelin said, acknowledging the tragedy. 'What was meant to be a moment of joy has turned the first day of the year in Crans-Montana into a day of mourning affecting the entire country and beyond.' Many of the dead were young people with 'projects, hopes, and dreams', he added.
The Valais canton's attorney general, Beatrice Pilloud, rejected arson or terrorism as probable causes of the fire. 'At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,' she told reporters. Asked about emergency exits, she said it was too early to draw conclusions. There had been no arrests, and no suspects were identified.
As darkness fell over Crans-Montana on Thursday evening, the town was shrouded in shock and disbelief. Le Constellation, an institution for locals, was a bar that often had no cover charge, attracting young people. Dozens of local teenagers, some in tears, gathered by the police cordon and laid flowers, creating an impromptu vigil.
Tourists continued their activities, shopping, skiing, and eating at restaurants, seemingly unaffected. 'I don’t think it means they don’t care, but they don’t know anyone involved,' said Ernesto Perila, a cafe owner. 'Life goes on, the world continues. I don’t think badly of anyone for that.'
Forensic teams, cloaked by the screens, continued their work in the chill air, as the town grappled with the aftermath of the tragedy.
