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SPARKED

Officials Reveal Likely Cause of Swiss Bar Fire That Left 40 Dead

Investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire that ripped through a bar filled with people ushering in the new year.

By Harry Thompson

Swiss investigators believe sparklers in bottles started the fire that killed 40 people in a ski bar on New Year’s Eve.

More than 100 people were also injured, most seriously, in the blaze at the Le Constellation bar in the upmarket Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana in the region of Valais.

Speaking to the press in Sion, Switzerland, on Friday, authorities revealed they believed the fire started when lit sparklers in the tops of bottles of alcohol caught and ignited the ceiling.

Mourners gather to leave flowers and candles at the scene after a fire broke out overnight at Le Constellation bar on January 01, 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. According to authorities, the fire began around 1:30 AM local time, with reports that 47 people are believed to have died and over a hundred more seriously injured.
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The hypothesis matches with a growing body of footage circulating online, believed to be from the scene, that appears to show the fire catching objects on the ceiling ablaze.

Valais attorney general Beatrice Pilloud said, “Everything leads us to believe that the fire was started from sparkling candles or sparklers that were put on bottles of champagne that were moved too close to the ceiling,” via translation from The Guardian.

“From that a blaze began very quickly… There are videos that have been analysed; there are several people who have been interviewed and reports have been made.”

The officials said that work was underway to identify the victims as quickly as possible, but amid the chaos and misery, tales of heroism are starting to emerge.

CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 1: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this screenshot from a video provided by the Valais Cantonal Police, emergency workers respond to a scene where a fire broke out overnight at Le Constellation bar on January 1, 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. According to authorities, the fire began around 1:30 AM local time. As of later that morning, authorities were reporting that several dozen people had died. (Handout photo by Valais Cantonal Police via Getty Images)

The fire erupted in Le Constellation in the upmarket ski resort.

Harold Cunningham/Getty Images

Speaking to RTS Radio on Friday, Valais regional government head Mathias Reynard said, “We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say, of very strong solidarity in the moment… in the first minutes it was citizens—and in large part young people—who saved lives with their courage.”

Among them is Ferdinand Du Beaudiez, 19, who told the Sun, “I saw someone order these champagne bottles and I saw the waitresses take the bottles on their shoulders...I saw the roof take fire and I went under the bar.

“I found some water in the mini fridge. At the moment I took the water, but the fire already spread on the whole roof. I threw some water, but it didn’t help anything.

CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 1: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this screenshot from a video provided by the Valais Cantonal Police, emergency workers respond to a scene where a fire broke out overnight at Le Constellation bar on January 1, 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. According to authorities, the fire began around 1:30 AM local time. As of later that morning, authorities were reporting that several dozen people had died. (Handout photo by Valais Cantonal Police via Getty Images)

The blaze has rocked the ski resort and Switzerland as a whole.

Harold Cunningham/Getty Images

“I went back down, I took my girlfriend’s arm and I screamed to everyone ‘get out’. I took my girlfriend as hard as I could up the stairs. There were so many people in the stairs that I lost her arm.

“I fell on the ground. I could reach the top of the stairs and I fell on my stomach.” Suffering burns on the back of his neck, he said he managed to get out before he headed back in.

“I went back inside. I found someone, I suppose, I hope he was just unconscious. But my prayers are that he’s still alive. I grabbed him in the stairs and I took him out.

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“Firemen, policemen, firemen took him. And I still couldn’t find anyone. I went back inside but I couldn’t breathe anymore.

“There was too much smoke and I couldn’t breathe. So I went back out. I found a friend of mine who was really burned. He asked me, where is your girlfriend? My girlfriend started rushing around. I found my girlfriend completely in shock.

“She was completely shocked. She told me my brother and his friends were near the bank over there. So I took both of them and joined my brother and his friends. They were all in shock, all very severely burned.

CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 1: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this screenshot from a video provided by the Valais Cantonal Police, emergency workers respond to a scene where a fire broke out overnight at Le Constellation bar on January 1, 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. According to authorities, the fire began around 1:30 AM local time. As of later that morning, authorities were reporting that several dozen people had died. (Handout photo by Valais Cantonal Police via Getty Images)

Many of the survivors are thought to have serious injuries.

Harold Cunningham/Getty Images

“It was terrifying. It felt like a war scene. I saw people, burned people on the ground.”

Officials noted they are now also working to determine how such an incident occurred.

Pilloud said, “The next steps of the investigation will focus in particular on the work carried out inside the bar, the materials utilised, the operating permits, the safety measures. By which I mean extinguishers, emergency exits and the resources to fight fires… the number of people on the site and the number of people the bar is permitted to receive.”

CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 1: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this screenshot from a video provided by the Valais Cantonal Police, emergency workers respond to a scene where a fire broke out overnight at Le Constellation bar on January 1, 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. According to authorities, the fire began around 1:30 AM local time. As of later that morning, authorities were reporting that several dozen people had died. (Handout photo by Valais Cantonal Police via Getty Images)

Many of the people in the bar are thought to have been teens and people in their 20s.

Handout/Valais Cantonal Police via Getty

“The people who have been interviewed, they are not interviewed under caution.

“If there is a flight risk, it is possible for us to take the necessary measures, but for the moment no criminal liability has been determined.”

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