Sparklers on Champagne Bottles Likely Triggered Deadly Swiss Bar Fire

Swiss investigators said sparklers attached to champagne bottles were the likely cause of a New Year’s fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans‑Montana, where 40 people died and dozens were badly burned. The blaze started in the bar’s basement, officials said, and most of the victims—many teenagers and people in their late teens and early 20s—were found there.

Authorities reported 119 people injured, with six still unidentified. Witnesses described the ceiling catching fire, acoustic foam igniting and crowds bottlenecking on the single known stairway. Bystanders, including 17‑year‑old Nestor Fischer, forced open a glass door to create an alternate escape route and helped guide people out with phone lights.

Officials said the fire was followed by a likely flashover, a rapid spread that can cause an explosion when an enclosed space ignites almost simultaneously. Investigators are examining construction materials, licenses, fire safety measures, emergency exits and capacity limits to determine whether negligence or criminal liability applies.

Two French citizens who run the bar have been interviewed and a list of attendees has been compiled to aid identification. The injured include citizens from Switzerland, France, Italy and several other countries. Italian officials said one of the dead was 17‑year‑old Emanuele Galeppini and arranged transfers of critically injured patients to Milan; Italy offered forensic support to Swiss authorities.

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Sports, United States, World, Switzerland, Fire, Investigation, Safety