Swiss Investigators Confirm Sparklers Ignited Crans-Montana Fire: Waitress on Shoulders, Flames Centimeters from Ceiling

We now know how 40 people died celebrating the new year in the Swiss Alps. And its somehow both mundane and horrifying.

Swiss prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud confirmed Friday what eyewitnesses had been saying since New Year’s Eve: champagne sparklers ignited the fire that turned Le Constellation bar into a death trap. A waitress, standing on a waiter’s shoulders, carried a bottle with a lit sparkler just centimeters from the wooden ceiling. The flames touched. And within seconds, everything changed.

“Everything leads us to believe that the fire was started from sparkling candles or sparklers that were put on bottles of champagne that were moved too close to the ceiling,” Pilloud said at a press conference. “From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread conflagration ensued.”

The technical term is “embrasement généralisé” – flashover. The wooden ceiling consumed with flames instantly, creating a backdraft effect that turned the basement nightclub into an inferno.

The Deadly Bottleneck

What happened next killed people. Le Constellation was on multiple levels, with stairs leading down to the main bar area. When fire erupted, hundreds of panicked revelers surged toward the single narrow staircase. The door at the top became a fatal bottleneck.

“We all saw really horrible things that no one should ever have to see,” 17-year-old survivor Laetitia Place told reporters. Shes one of the lucky ones.

The official death toll stands at 40, with 119 injured – many with severe burns that required transfer to specialist hospitals across Europe. But Italian media reports suggest the number could be as high as 47. Identification is taking days because many bodies were too badly burned for visual recognition. Forensic teams are using dental records and DNA.

The Investigation Expands

Investigators from Zurich’s forensic institute are now examining every aspect of what went wrong. The probe will focus on:

Whether the bar’s ceiling insulation foam – likely acoustic paneling – met fire safety regulations. One fire consultant described such material as “plastic petrol.”

Previous renovations and what materials were used.

Whether adequate fire extinguishing systems were in place.

Escape route adequacy and the number of people in the bar when flames erupted.

The two French managers of Le Constellation have been interviewed. No charges have been filed yet, but Pilloud made clear the investigation will determine “if anyone needs to be held criminally liable for negligence.”

Safety Questions Mount

The bar had been an “institution” in Crans-Montana for over 40 years, owned by a Corsican couple since 2015. But online reviews tell a troubling story – previous visitors had cited security deficiencies and unprofessional staff.

The mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Féraud, confirmed the bar underwent annual or bi-annual fire inspections. But he declined to answer questions about the details of those inspections, raising more questions than he answered.

Swiss fire safety regulations are generally stricter than much of Europe. They require venues with capacity over 200 people to have multiple open exits, smoke ventilation systems, certified non-flammable furnishings, and permits for any interior pyrotechnics. Whether Le Constellation met all those requirements is now central to the investigation.

International Victims

The victims came from across Europe – French, Italian, Belgian, Serbian, Polish, Portuguese, Luxembourgish, Bosnian, Finnish, and Israeli nationals. Many were teenagers and young people, in the Alps for holiday skiing.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited the scene Friday. Italy’s foreign ministry reports 16 Italians missing. The first victim publicly identified was Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old Italian junior golfer. The Italian Golf Federation described him as “a young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values.”

French survivor Axel Clavier, 16, told reporters he felt like he was suffocating inside the bar. He lost his jacket, shoes, phone, and bank card while fleeing. “I am still alive and it’s just stuff,” he said. “I’m still in shock.”

The Volendam Echo

This tragedy echoes eerily with another New Year’s disaster – exactly 25 years ago. On January 1, 2001, sparklers set fire to decorations at a café in Volendam, Netherlands, killing 14 young people.

After Volendam, the Netherlands implemented strict regulations on sparklers in public venues. Switzerland, apparently, did not have similar rules – or if it did, they weren’t followed.

French bars are already responding. Several establishments announced Friday they would replace sparkler candles with LED lights. “Out of precaution and respect for the victims and their families,” posted Le Cosy Bar in Cognac.

A Nation Mourns

Swiss President Guy Parmelin visited the disaster site and ordered flags on federal buildings flown at half-mast. A five-day period of mourning has been declared. King Charles III sent condolences from the UK.

An official ceremony is scheduled for Friday, January 9th in Crans-Montana. Makeshift memorials have already sprung up near the bar, with mourners leaving candles and flowers – the same candles that, in different hands, killed their friends. SwissInfo has the full victim count and ongoing memorial coverage.

Crans-Montana will never be the same. This internationally renowned luxury ski resort, known for sweeping vistas from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc, is now the site of Switzerland’s deadliest fire in modern history. The investigation will take months. The trauma will take longer. CNN’s live updates have been following developments since that terrible night. We covered the initial tragedy as it unfolded.

And somewhere, in bars across the world, bottles of champagne are still being carried with sparklers attached. Maybe tonight, someone will think twice.