A New Year’s Eve celebration in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, turned into an unimaginable tragedy, claiming the lives of 40 partygoers. Authorities now point to sparklers, held dangerously close to a foam-clad ceiling, as the likely cause of the inferno that engulfed Le Constellation bar in the early hours of Thursday.
Mobile phone footage from survivors painted a horrifying picture: sparklers affixed to champagne bottles ignited the soundproofing foam overhead. Patrons, many in their late teens and twenties, initially kept dancing, oblivious to the death trap forming above them. Chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud confirmed that “everything suggests” sparklers or Bengal candles were the culprit.
Once the danger became apparent, chaos erupted. Witnesses described a terrifying scene as people screamed, scrambled, and desperately tried to break windows to escape. The blaze left 119 survivors, many critically burned, overwhelming Swiss hospitals and requiring dozens to be transferred to specialized units across Europe in countries like France, Germany, and Italy. The severity of injuries included not just external burns but also complex and difficult-to-treat inhalation burns.
While the bar owner, Jacques Moretti, insists all safety standards were met, investigators are closely scrutinizing those claims. The exact number of people inside remains uncertain, but the venue had a capacity for 300. The identification of victims is an agonizing process, leaving families like Laetitia Brodard, who last heard “Mom, Happy New Year, I love you” from her 16-year-old son, Arthur, in torturous limbo.
The resort town of Crans-Montana, known for its international ski appeal, is now shrouded in grief. Locals describe a heavy atmosphere, with the tragedy touching everyone in the close-knit community. What started as a festive night ended in an “apocalypse,” a shocking reminder of how quickly joy can turn to devastation.
Source: https://kuwaittimes.com/article/37943/world/sparklers-blamed-for-deadly-swiss-bar-fire/
