CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Authorities in Switzerland are searching for the cause of a fire that ripped through a popular ski resort bar and caused the deaths of at least 40 people during a New Year’s Eve celebration.

At least 119 other people were injured in the blaze, which occurred at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.

Sparkling flares caused fire, officials say

Update 9:53 a.m. ET Jan. 2: Swiss investigators said they believe sparkling flares atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire at a ski resort when they came too close to a crowded bar’s ceiling.

“Some hypotheses can be confirmed,” chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said. “As things stand, everything points to the fire starting from sparklers or flares placed in champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling, which very rapidly led to a flashover fire.”

Original report: Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference that police are working to identify the dead and notify their families. He added that residents in the Alps resort town were “devastated” by the tragedy.

“We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say, of very strong solidarity in the moment,” Valais regional government head Mathias Reynard told RTS radio Friday.

Reynard added that while local emergency officials excelled in rescue efforts, the actions of citizens “saved lives with their courage.”

Many of the victims were teenagers, the BBC reported. Le Constellation is popular with younger patrons, including tourists and employees working during the ski season.

The drinking age in Switzerland is 16 for beer and wine and 18 for high-proof alcohol.

A video shared on social media and verified by The New York Times shows what appears to be the fire in its early stages.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani of Italy arrived in Crans-Montana on Friday and met with authorities before laying flowers at a memorial, the Times reported. He confirmed that 13 Italians had been hospitalized and six remained unaccounted for.

“From the dramatic images we’ve seen, something was missing, something went wrong,” Tajani said, adding that the investigation was in the hands of the Swiss authorities. “Ascertaining the truth is fundamental, but first and foremost we want to save lives and at the same time we need to ascertain the responsibility of those who run the venue,” he said.

Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old Italian golfer, was named as one of the fatalities, according to a spokesperson for the Italian foreign ministry and the Italian Golf Federation.

Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton’s attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. He added that investigators have ruled out the possibility of an attack.

“For the time being, we don’t have any suspects,” she added. “An investigation has been opened, not against anyone, but to better understand the circumstances of this dramatic fire.”

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but Swiss authorities said it was likely that the explosion occurred because of a “flashover.”

A flashover occurs when a fire in an enclosed space rapidly spreads, causing nearly everything in the room to ignite almost simultaneously, fire experts said.

When a flame in a room is not quickly extinguished, hot gases rise to the ceiling and spread heat throughout the space. Temperatures can rise quickly to as high as 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, a point at which everything in the room can start burning at once.

One video, filmed from inside the bar as the fire began, shows flames spreading across the ceiling, CNN reported. Crowds of people can be seen scrambling up a flight of stairs toward the exit of the bar.

“Everyone was burned, everyone was screaming, everyone was shouting,” Ilan Achour, 26, told Reuters at a vigil held in Crans-Montana. “It was a horror movie. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. And then I lost my best friend, who was in my arms. We tried to revive her.”

Elisa Sousa, 17, said she intended to visit the bar but spent the evening at a family gathering.

“And honestly, I’ll need to thank my mother a hundred times for not letting me go,” Sousa told Reuters. “Because God knows where I’d be now.”

© 2025 Cox Media Group