A horrific fire tore through a crowded bar in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana in the early hours of New Year's Day, leaving dozens feared dead and approximately 100 people injured, many seriously, according to police. The blaze transformed a night of celebration into one of Switzerland's worst potential tragedies.
From Celebration to Catastrophe
The fire erupted at the Le Constellation bar less than two hours after midnight on Thursday, January 1, 2026. Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler stated that "several tens of people" were presumed killed. The process of identifying victims and notifying their families is underway, but Gisler cautioned it would take time, describing the community as "devastated."
Witness accounts paint a chaotic and terrifying scene. Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they saw a bartender lift a female colleague on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames quickly spread, causing the wooden ceiling to collapse. A witness described a desperate crowd surge as people tried to escape a basement nightclub via a narrow staircase and door. Others smashed windows to flee, with some suffering grave injuries.
Officials explained the fire likely triggered a flashover or backdraft, a violent ignition of combustible gases. "This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare," said Mathias Reynard, head of the Valais Canton regional government.
Overwhelmed Resources and a Resort in Mourning
The scale of the tragedy quickly overwhelmed local medical services. Reynard confirmed that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital reached full capacity due to the influx of injured. The resort, located less than 5 kilometers from Sierre, is no stranger to tragedy; a bus crash in a tunnel there in 2012 killed 28 people.
Authorities have ruled out any malicious intent. Valais Canton attorney general Beatrice Pilloud emphasized, "At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack." The cause remains under investigation, as experts have not yet been able to enter the unstable wreckage.
The fire occurred in a region bustling with tourists enjoying the ski slopes. Officials have asked locals to exercise caution to avoid further accidents that would strain the already overwhelmed medical system.
A Global Resort Grapples with Loss
Crans-Montana is a premier international destination, known for its high-altitude ski runs and as a stop on the World Cup circuit. It is scheduled to host top skiers, including Lindsey Vonn, for pre-Olympic events ahead of the Milan Cortina Games in February. The town also hosts the European Masters golf tournament each summer.
The Swiss tragedy echoes a similar New Year's Eve fire 25 years ago in the Dutch town of Volendam, which killed 14. Swiss President Guy Parmelin, on his first day in the rotating presidency, expressed the government's condolences to the victims, injured, and their relatives. Out of respect, he postponed his traditional New Year's address to the nation.
