On January 1, 2026, (New Year’s Eve,) a packed basement bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana went up in flames. 40 people lost their lives, and 119 were injured. Switzerland woke up to one of the deadliest fires the country has seen in decades.
The blaze broke out just after midnight inside Le Constellation, a popular underground nightclub known for loud music and crowded holiday parties. Smoke filled the room in seconds. Flames climbed fast. People had no time to think, only to run, push, and scream.
Investigators now believe the fire began with sparkling flares attached to Champagne bottles – the kind often used to hype up bottle service. Bright sparks shot upward. According to officials, they likely touched the wooden ceiling, and that was enough to start the inferno.
Swiss investigators say the sparklers burned hot and fast. Witnesses described servers entering the club holding bottles with lit flares. Sparks flew high above the crowd.
AOL / Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud explained that early evidence suggests those sparklers (on top of the wines) were held too close to the ceiling.
The wood and soundproofing materials overhead may have caught fire almost instantly. Once it started, flames spread across the ceiling before anyone could react.
Several survivors backed up that theory. A teenager from Paris reported seeing bottles topped with burning sparklers moments before the fire. Two women told French media they watched a bartender being lifted onto someone’s shoulders while holding a lit bottle. Seconds later, the ceiling was on fire. Panic followed right away.
Investigators are now digging into every detail. They are checking if the ceiling materials meet fire safety rules.
Authorities say that the victims were mostly young. Teenagers, college students, and people in their early twenties filled the dance floor that night. Many were in town for skiing and New Year’s celebrations.
Of the injured, most were Swiss, but many came from abroad. French, Italian, Serbian, Belgian, Portuguese, and Polish citizens were among them. Crans-Montana attracts visitors from all over Europe, and the crowd reflected that.
Identifying the dead has been painfully slow. The fire burned so hot that many bodies were badly damaged. Wallets, phones, and IDs were destroyed. Authorities have had to rely on DNA testing. Families are waiting in agony, sometimes for days, to learn if their loved ones survived.
One of the missing is a 17-year-old Italian golfer, Emanuele Galeppini. He was considered a rising talent and had competed internationally. His name spread fast across social media as friends searched for answers. Outside hospitals and the burned bar, candles and flowers now line the snow-covered streets.
Devastating Chaos in the Low-Ceiling Basement
GTN / Survivors describe a scene of total chaos. The fire spread across the ceiling, and the smoke dropped fast. People rushed toward the only staircase leading up.
The exit door was narrow. In seconds, the crowd surged forward.
One witness said people fell on the stairs and were trampled. Others said they could not see anything through the smoke. Screams echoed through the room as flames cut off parts of the club.
Some people escaped only by breaking windows. Axel Clavier said he used a table to smash one open. Cold air rushed in, giving him a chance to breathe and climb out. Many were not that lucky.
Swiss authorities have made significant progress in the investigation into the devastating New Year’s Eve fire at Crans-Montana’s Le Constellation bar, with all victims identified and a criminal probe now underway.
On Sunday, January 4, the Valais cantonal police announced that all 40 victims of the fire had been formally identified. This concluded an arduous process hampered by the severity of the victims’ burns, which required extensive forensic work and DNA analysis.
The victims ranged in age from 14 to 39 years old, with 26 of them being teenagers. The youngest were two 14-year-olds from France and Switzerland. The group included citizens of Switzerland, France, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, and a 15-year-old girl with French, British, and Israeli nationalities. Out of respect for the families, police have stated they will release no further details about the victims.