Posted on 01/02/2026 9:09:57 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire at a Swiss ski resort when they came too close to the ceiling of a bar crowded with New Year’s Eve revelers.
Authorities planned to look into whether the sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether sparklers were permitted for use in the bar.
The candles, which give off a stream of upward-shooting sparks, were the same type that is commonly available for parties, officials said.
Forty people were killed and another 119 injured in the blaze early Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the worst tragedies in Switzerland’s history.
Many of the wounded were in their teens to mid-20s, police said.
Officials said they would also look at other safety measures on the premises, including fire extinguishers and escape routes.
Beatrice Pilloud, the attorney general for the Valais region, warned of possible prosecutions if any criminal liability is found.
The injured included 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French and 11 Italians, along with citizens of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal and Poland, according to Frédéric Gisler, police commander of the Valais region. The nationalities of 14 people were still unclear.
An evening of celebration turns tragic
Among the crowd was Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris, who said he felt as if he was suffocating inside the Swiss Alpine bar where moments before he had been ringing in the new year with friends and dozens of other people.
The teenager escaped the inferno, which broke out early Thursday, by forcing a window open with a table. The dead included one of Clavier’s friends, and he told The Associated Press that two or three other friends remained missing hours after...
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
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In before the Smoke On The Water references.
“Footage shows partygoer trying to put out flames as blaze takes hold”
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c5y2w82d9r2o
SWISS BLAZE HORROR New NYE bar fire video shows revellers party as flames spread
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/37792943/nye-bar-fire-vid-revellers-cheer-flames/
Duh!
That venue is screwed if it didn't have any. Or if the staff panicked and didn't try.
Looks like many people where too busy filming instead of evacuating
New video captures fire engulfing bar at Swiss ski resort as guests fail to react, killing at least 40, injuring more than 100
https://rumble.com/v73s2iq-video-captures-fire-engulfing-bar-at-swiss-ski-resort-as-guests-fail-to-rea.html
GMTA!!👍 Smoke on the Water. One of the most badass guitar riffs in rock history🙂🙂🙂
Very similar to this one:
The Great White club fire, which occurred on February 20, 2003, at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, resulted in the deaths of 100 people and injured over 230 others, making it one of the deadliest nightclub fires in U.S. history.
Overview of the Incident
On the night of the fire, the band Jack Russell’s Great White was performing at The Station nightclub. During their set, the tour manager, Daniel Biechele, ignited pyrotechnics as part of the show. Unfortunately, the sparks from the pyrotechnics ignited flammable acoustic foam that lined the walls and ceiling of the venue. Within minutes, the fire spread rapidly, engulfing the entire building in flames.
Casualties and Damage
The fire claimed the lives of 100 individuals and left 230 others injured. Of the approximately 462 people present in the club at the time, only 132 escaped without injury.
Over at SteynOnline, they have a photo that links to an article about the fire. The photo is of the bar full of people and the ceiling is being lit by the flaming bottles.
This is the kicker: the ceiling is completely covered in some sort of “egg-carton” foam that is used as a liner for instrument cases. That stuff is extremely flammable. And it doesn’t look like there is any sort of sprinkler system on the ceiling. A totally unforced error on the part of the bar managers and patrons.
“Acoustic foam” is the word I was looking for.
First thing I thought of, too. The owners of the nightclub had made modifications using flammable materials that were not legal by code. The Station also had low ceilings that contributed to the disaster.
The Coconut Grove fire in Boston in 1942 killed 420 people, under similar circumstances. Changes to building codes that were supposed to prevent these kinds of trajedies followed in all 48 states.
“””Authorities planned to look into whether the sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations”””
Sherlock Holmes is not needed. A wood ceiling does not explode into flames.
Man that was horrible.
I think Swiss fire marshals will come under scrutiny as well. I don't think you can blame the patrons. It appears most of the victims were young and didn't know any better to avoid a death trap.
A 16 yr old in a bar at midnight? Even on New Years Eve …
Maybe the rules are different for the privileged.
I don't know how old this structure was, but I've seen 150 year old wood burst into flames from just a few errant sparks from some fireworks. The fire of dried up aged wood can evolve insanely fast.
The owners of the nightclub had made modifications using flammable materials that were not legal by code.
++++++++++
Same scenario on the London Grenfell Tower inferno. The exterior of the London building was updated, during a renovation, with a sub-standard material that was not fireproof. This material allowed the fire to spread extremely fast through the exterior frame of the building.
Certainly different in Europe!
The legal drinking age in Europe varies significantly by country, with most nations setting the minimum age at 18 years for purchasing and consuming alcohol.
However, several countries have lower thresholds: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Switzerland allow individuals aged 16 to purchase and consume alcohol, with some restrictions based on the type of beverage or presence of an adult.
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