A 17-year-old survivor, Laetitia Place, described panicked scenes as a New Year’s Day fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana killed around 40 people and injured at least 115. Survivors reported trampling, people burned or collapsed, and frantic pleas for help as crowds pushed toward narrow exits. Authorities are investigating multiple causes — including eyewitness claims of sparklers and the possibility of a flashover — and say there is no sign of terrorism. Identification of victims is expected to take time because many patrons were foreign tourists.
Teen Survivor Recalls Chaos as Deadly New Year’s Fire Ravaged Swiss Ski-Resort Bar
MAXIME SCHMID / AFP via GettyFirst responders stand outside Le Constellation in Crans-Montana on Jan. 1, 2026
A 17-year-old survivor has recounted harrowing scenes from the blaze that tore through Le Constellation, a popular bar at the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland, in the early hours of New Year's Day. Authorities confirmed the fire left around 40 people dead and at least 115 injured.
Survivors Describe Panic and Trampling
Laetitia Place told Reuters she narrowly escaped the inferno and watched panicked crowds rush toward limited exits. "There’s the small door where everyone was pushing, and so we all fell, we were piled on top of each other, some people were burning, and some were dead next to us," she said. "I was so scared — scared for myself, scared for my friends, scared for everyone inside."
"We all saw really horrible things that no one should ever have to see," Place said.
Another survivor, Samuel Rapp, described seeing people lying on the floor "probably dead" with jackets over their faces, and receiving videos that showed patrons trampling one another as they tried to reach exits. "There were people shouting, saying, 'Help me. Please help us,'" he recalled.
Investigations Underway Into Possible Causes
Police commander Frédéric Gisler confirmed the casualty figures at a press conference and said investigators are exploring multiple lines of inquiry. Two witnesses speaking to BFMTV suggested sparklers placed in champagne bottles may have ignited the blaze, but Attorney General Béatrice Pilloud cautioned that no official determination has been made.
Authorities are also investigating whether a flashover occurred — a rapid event in which superheated gases cause combustible materials across a room to ignite almost simultaneously. "Flashover is when you no longer have objects in the room on fire. The room is on fire," Steve Kerber of the Fire Safety Research Institute told CNN.
No Indication Of Terrorism
Police have said there is no evidence the incident was a terrorist act and that an explosive device was not involved. Local officials warned that identifying all victims will take time, in part because the bar was popular with foreign holidaymakers and not all victims are Swiss citizens.
National Response
Switzerland’s president, Guy Parmelin, attended the press conference and earlier posted condolences on X, calling the tragedy "a moment of joy turned into a tragedy in Crans-Montana" and offering the government's deepest sympathies to victims, the injured and their families. Investigations and victim identification efforts are ongoing amid international attention to the scale of the loss.
Reporting draws on statements from Reuters, BFMTV, CNN and officials at the Jan. 1 press conference in Crans-Montana.
Help us improve.
