Teenager Forces Door to Free Patrons During Swiss Bar Blaze

Nestor Fischer, 17, said he helped create an escape route after a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge in Lausanne on New Year’s Day.

Having left the bar before midnight, Mr. Fischer returned about 90 minutes later to find smoke and people screaming. He described the interior as "a furnace" and said patrons were fainting from lack of oxygen.

With two others he tried to open a stuck glass door on the veranda. After attempts to break the window failed, he said, "I just ripped it off," creating an alternate exit.

Using phone flashlights, Mr. Fischer and bystanders guided people outside. He and a friend, Nathan Laccore, helped those who made it out and called relatives on their behalf.

Mr. Fischer said the victims he saw were severely burned, some with clothing fused to their skin. He and others said there were only roughly six firemen at the scene at first and that reinforcements arrived later, at which point he decided to leave.

Key Topics

Health, France, World, Switzerland, Fire, Rescue, Teenager