Discover Crans Montana Ski Resort Tragedy
The smoke was first noticed at 1:30 a.m. on January 1, 2026, rising from Le Constellation bar in the center of Crans-Montana, a Swiss Alps ski resort where the new year was less than two hours old. Inside, more than 100 people had gathered to celebrate. Within seconds of the first emergency call, police and firefighters began mobilizing. Within minutes, they arrived at a scene that would become one of Switzerland’s worst civilian disasters.
The fire moved with a speed that left little time for escape. Witnesses described flames engulfing the venue in approximately ten seconds. By the time the blaze was extinguished, approximately 40 people were dead and 115 others injured, many critically. The bar, a two-story establishment with a wooden interior and a basement nightclub, had transformed from a scene of revelry into something else entirely.
The first officers from the Crans-Montana intercommunal police and gendarmerie arrived at 1:32 a.m., two minutes after the initial alert. They were followed rapidly by a deployment of resources that would eventually include 150 personnel, at least 10 helicopters, 42 ambulances, and three disaster response trucks. The priority was immediate: treat the injured and transport them to hospitals before the scope of the tragedy became fully apparent.
What Happened
Multiple witnesses offered consistent accounts of the fire’s ignition. Two women who were inside told French broadcaster BFMTV that they saw a bartender carrying a female staff member on his shoulders. She was holding a champagne bottle fitted with a sparkler – a common celebratory gesture in European nightlife – with flames rising from it. The sparkler was positioned centimeters from the wooden ceiling.
The ceiling caught fire. What happened next unfolded with a rapidity that overwhelmed human reaction time. One witness told AFP that the bar was engulfed “within about ten seconds.” The wooden interior – a feature that had given the venue its character – became fuel. Fire officials later described the event using the term “embrasement généralisé,” a flashover condition where combustible gases ignite violently and spread flame throughout an enclosed space almost instantaneously.
The venue’s layout compounded the crisis. Le Constellation operated across two levels: a ground-floor bar and lounge, and a basement nightclub below. As the fire spread, people in the basement nightclub rushed toward the exit – a narrow flight of stairs leading to a single door. Witnesses described a crowd surge as dozens of people attempted to escape simultaneously through an opening designed for orderly flow, not panic.
Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris who survived, told The Associated Press he saw waitresses with champagne bottles and sparklers just before the fire erupted. “I’m still in shock,” he said. One of his friends died. Two or three others were missing. Another survivor told AFP he was trapped in the burning building and had to break a window to escape. “We were trapped, a lot of people were trapped,” he said. “We couldn’t see because of the smoke.”
The Emergency Response
The scale of the emergency quickly exceeded local capacity. Within minutes of arrival, responders recognized that the number of critically injured patients would overwhelm the regional hospital in Sion, approximately 15 kilometers away. The Valais cantonal government declared a state of emergency to mobilize additional resources.
By 4:14 a.m., authorities had established a helpline for families seeking information about loved ones. By shortly after 5:00 a.m., all injured persons had received initial medical care, though many remained in critical condition. The response required coordination across Switzerland’s medical infrastructure. Sixty patients were treated at the hospital in Sion. Others were airlifted to major facilities in Geneva, Zurich, and Lausanne.
Switzerland maintains two specialist burn treatment centers, one in Lausanne and one in Zurich. Both received patients from Crans-Montana. Lausanne University Hospital alone admitted 22 victims, most between the ages of 16 and 26, according to hospital director Claire Charmet. The Swiss Air Rescue service, known as Rega, deployed three ambulance jets in addition to helicopters. Some patients were transferred to hospitals in neighboring France and Italy. Milan’s Niguarda Hospital confirmed it stood ready to receive additional burn victims if needed.
A no-fly zone was established over Crans-Montana to prevent interference with helicopter operations. The area around Le Constellation was cordoned off completely. Police blocked streets. Forensic investigators from Zurich arrived later Thursday to begin the technical investigation into the fire’s cause and progression.
Martin Meul, a reporter for the Swiss newspaper Blick, described the scene Thursday afternoon as “two worlds in one place.” At the burned-out bar, authorities worked to remove bodies while families waited for news. A few blocks away, tourists continued their ski vacations, some unaware of what had happened overnight. The resort’s lifts operated. Restaurants served lunch. The juxtaposition was jarring but perhaps inevitable in a town of 10,000 residents hosting millions of visitors annually.
Identifying the Dead
The most difficult work remains incomplete. Swiss authorities have confirmed approximately 40 deaths but cannot yet provide precise figures. The severity of burns makes visual identification impossible in many cases. The forensic institute in Zurich has been given a formal mandate to conduct identifications using dental records, DNA analysis, and other methods. Phones recovered from the scene are being analyzed for potential clues about victims’ identities.
Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general for Valais canton, told reporters Thursday that the identification process will take time – possibly days, more likely longer. Many witnesses have been interviewed. The investigation is examining multiple hypotheses about the fire’s exact cause, though terrorism has been definitively ruled out. “At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said at a press conference.
The victims include Swiss residents and foreign nationals. The French Foreign Ministry confirmed at least two French nationals were among the injured. Italy’s Foreign Ministry reported 15 Italians hospitalized and others missing or unaccounted for. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he would travel to Crans-Montana on Friday. Officials from multiple embassies have been in contact with Swiss authorities to determine if their citizens were affected.
What is known about the victims suggests they were predominantly young. Multiple sources – hospital officials, witnesses, local residents – described the crowd at Le Constellation as primarily people aged 16 to 25. The bar was known locally as a popular destination for younger tourists and residents. One 16-year-old ski instructor told The Irish Times that several of his friends were inside when the fire broke out. He had spoken with some who escaped safely. Others he knew to be inside remained unaccounted for. A friend of a friend was in a coma at the hospital in Sion.
A reception center was established for families and loved ones seeking information. The helpline – +41 848 112 117 – has been staffed continuously since Thursday morning. Regional councilor Mathias Reynard, who heads the Valais canton government, called the evening “a nightmare” and urged local residents to exercise caution in the coming days to avoid additional accidents that would strain already overwhelmed medical resources.
The Context
Crans-Montana sits in the heart of the Swiss Alps, 25 miles north of the Matterhorn, with ski runs rising nearly 9,850 feet above sea level. The resort attracts approximately three million visitors annually, drawn by world-class skiing, golf, and the particular alpine luxury for which Switzerland is known. Unlike nearby Verbier, which caters to a wealthy anglophone clientele, Crans-Montana draws primarily from Switzerland, France, and Italy.
The resort is scheduled to host the final men’s and women’s World Cup downhill races of the season at the end of January, including American ski racer Lindsey Vonn, before the Milan Cortina Olympics in February. The Crans-sur-Sierre golf club stages the European Masters each August. In 2024, Vail Resorts purchased Crans-Montana for approximately 118.5 million Swiss francs, roughly $130 million, with pledges to invest significantly in infrastructure upgrades.
Le Constellation had been a fixture in the town for at least 40 years, according to local media reports. The BBC described it as “a real institution.” The venue was acquired and remodeled in 2015 by a French couple from Corsica who operate several establishments in the region. It functioned as a daytime café and evening bar and nightclub, with a capacity listed as 300 people inside and 40 on an outdoor terrace. Features included a shisha and smoking area and 14 television screens for watching sports, particularly football.
Reviews of the bar on platforms like Tripadvisor were mixed. Some praised the atmosphere and location. Others criticized organization, professionalism, and – notably in hindsight – aspects of safety and service. One reviewer on a Swiss platform gave Le Constellation 6.5 out of 10 points in the safety category. The bar’s social media presence has been deleted or made unavailable since the fire.
Crans-Montana is less than three miles from Sierre, where 28 people, including many children, were killed in 2012 when a bus from Belgium crashed inside a Swiss tunnel. Thursday’s fire represents a significantly larger loss of life. Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who assumed the rotating Swiss presidency on January 1, described the fire as “one of the worst tragedies our country has experienced.” He delayed a traditional New Year’s address to the nation that had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Flags will fly at half-mast for five days.
What Remains Unknown
The investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Valais is examining several questions. Foremost is the exact cause of ignition, though witness accounts strongly suggest sparklers igniting the wooden ceiling. Authorities are also investigating whether the venue exceeded its permitted capacity. More than 100 people were confirmed inside, but witnesses estimated closer to 200. The venue’s website listed capacity at 300 for the main floor and 40 for the terrace, but capacity limits for the low-ceiling basement nightclub remain unclear. Videos from the night show the club densely packed.
The investigation will also examine safety protocols, evacuation routes, and compliance with fire codes. The question of whether the narrow staircase and single door from the basement met safety standards for a nightclub will be central to any determination of responsibility.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with President Parmelin to express solidarity. “The toll is devastating,” Macron wrote on social media. “Our thoughts are with the families.” Leaders from Germany, Italy, and other neighboring countries have also offered condolences and assistance. The U.S. Embassy in Switzerland urged American citizens in the country to notify family and friends of their safety and expressed condolences for those affected.
What was meant to be a celebration – champagne, sparklers, the first hours of a new year – became something else. The final accounting is not yet complete. Families wait. Investigators work. The resort, somehow, continues. The snow still falls on Crans-Montana’s slopes, indifferent to what happened in the hours after midnight, when fire consumed a bar full of people who thought they were simply welcoming 2026.
