Posted on 01/01/2026 4:58:58 AM PST by DFG
Around 40 revelers were killed and another 100 injured, most of them seriously, after an explosion ripped through a packed bar in a Swiss Alps resort town during a New Year’s celebration, officials said.
The deadly blaze erupted around 1:30 a.m. at the Le Constellation bar in the ritzy ski resort town of Crans-Montana in the Valais Canton.
While the cause of the fire remains unclear, it appears to have been an accident.
Witnesses believe the explosion was triggered by sparklers being held too close to the ceiling, which set the roof on fire, according to reports.
“At the moment we are considering this a fire and we are not considering the possibility of an attack,” prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud stressed at a press conference, adding that authorities had opened a full investigation.
“I can’t hide from you that we are all shaken by what happened overnight in Crans,” said the canton’s head of police, Frederic Gislertold.
“Our count is about 100 injured, most seriously, and unfortunately tens of people are presumed dead,” he said, adding that patients had been dispatched to hospitals in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich.
Many of the victims are from other countries. The Italian Foreign Ministry said information from Swiss police indicated about 40 deaths, though Gisler said it would be “premature” to give a specific figure.
Authorities are working to get the bodies of the victims back to their families.
“A lot of resources have been put into forensics to identify the victims. These resources are intended to allow us to get the bodies to the families as soon as possible,” Pilloud said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Sparklers in the wee hours inside a crowded bar. What could go wrong?
Sounds like the Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island
Sparklers inside a building is foolish. Sparklers inside a building full of drunks is insanely foolish!
Or a flare gun in a gambling house...
CC
Some stupid with a flare gun.
I was just about to name the Usual Suspects for tragedy and destruction in this part of Europe, then I realized that this time, it all came down to bad planning, bad luck and Alpha Class fires.
Or the fire at the Montreaux Casino in 1971, started by a fan of Frank Zappa and the Mothers when he shot a flare into the ceiling.
“A survivor of the blaze told French news channel BFM: ‘During the evening, a waiter climbed onto another waiter’s shoulders.
‘He was holding a birthday candle, which was very close to the ceiling, and [the ceiling] caught fire in a couple of minutes.’”
...
Another witness, Emma, said the fire seemed to start after people celebrated with champagne bottles that contained candles.
‘Some of the bottles were near the ceiling and it caught fire. The whole ceiling was in flames and the fire spread really fast. It happened in seconds. We ran outside, screaming and crying,’ she told BFM.
Victoria gave a similar testimony. ‘It was firework candles inside a champagne bottle that caused the explosion. The entire ceiling of the bar caught fire,’ she said.
...
She added that she saw the ceiling catch fire after sparkler was lit in a bottle on a high table.
...
Other reports suggest the blast may have been caused by fireworks - however police say this is yet to be confirmed.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15426427/Several-people-killed-injured-explosion-rips-bar-Swiss-ski-resort.html
And from the original story for this thread:
Two young French women said waitresses were carrying bottles with sparklers inside them through the venue before one caught on the ceiling.
One woman, who gave her name as Victoria, told French outlet BFMTV that a waitress was shaking the bottle and the flames quickly spread.
“Smoke on the Water” 1972 Deep Purple
Idiocracy.
This is why the native Americans called liquor, “firewater”.
> At the moment we are considering this a fire and we are not considering the possibility of an attack,” prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud stressed
Maybe it was an accident, maybe not, but immediate denials are always suspicious.
Chalk up another one for the nothing good happens after midnight idea.
Could have been a suicidal “reveler” who helped cause the fire, but at least one witness said it could have been a waitress....I am thinking about all of our celebrations being opportunities for collective mayhem by people terrified of not ending up with allah after they die,, or marxists, or trans loonies, or crazy shooters...
No need for flame retardant materials way up there on the ceiling. What could happen?
“Smoke on the water….fire in the night”
I would think that would trigger a sprinkler system long before setting off an explosion.
I’d like to take this opportunity to be the first person on this thread to point out that Deep Purple once wrote a song about a similar occurrence. It feels good to be first.
LOL. A wee bit unfirst. Good attempt though. :)
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