Saturday 03 / January / 2026
At a press conference on Friday, Valais canton Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said investigators were interviewing witnesses and would review video evidence to determine whether a bar that went up in flames in the early hours of 2026 had the correct fire safety procedures and emergency exits.
Officials have not said whether the bar had the two escape routes required under Swiss fire and building codes — or whether those exits were usable at the time of the fire.
Some Swiss media reports suggest that the bar's basement area may have had only one access and exit route, which could have made evacuation extremely difficult in a panic situation. However, at the press conference on Friday, Pilloud gave no further details about the number of escape routes or whether they met safety requirements.
Though Pilloud said no line of inquiry was being ruled out, she gave no details regarding the bar's safety measures. She was unable to say when the last review of safety measures at the bar was carried out and said all relevant issues were currently being investigated.
Investigators have said the fire spread extremely quickly and evacuation was chaotic, with witnesses describing people trying to escape up a narrow stairway and through a single narrow door. Some broke windows to flee.
Fire in Crans-Montana likely caused by champagne sparklers: Officials
Sparklers attached to champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling likely sparked the deadly fire at the "Le Constellation" bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, during a New Year's party, killing at least 40 people, CNN quoted officials as saying.
The blaze reportedly spread rapidly due to a flashover, and Swiss prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible criminal responsibility.
Earlier, at a press conference in Crans-Montana, Valais Cantonal Police Commander Frederic Gisler said authorities responded swiftly after a fire was reported at a bar in the area.
According to Gisler, smoke was first seen coming from the bar in the centre of the Swiss ski resort at around 1:30 am. Moments later, a witness contacted the emergency call centre to report the incident. A red alert was immediately issued to mobilise firefighting services, he added.
The first teams from the Crans-Montana intercommunal police and the gendarmerie reached the scene at 1:32 am, and were soon joined by additional emergency responders, CNN reported.
"Their initial assignment was obviously to take care of the victims, to provide them emergency help," Gisler said. He noted that firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze quickly. "Following that, the initial investigations were able to start," he said.
Reception centres were later set up to assist those affected by the incident, and a helpline was launched at 4:14 am to provide information and support to families.
"All of the injured people had received care by shortly after 5 am, thanks to this widescale mobilisation," CNN quoted Gisler as saying.
"Currently and in the days to come, the priority will be identifying the people who have died so that their bodies can be returned quickly to their families," Gisler said in a press conference.
How does Germany compare?
In Germany, most bars, nightclubs and music venues are required to have two escape routes.
Sandra Barz, a fire protection expert at the Technische Akademie Südwest trade school in Kaiserslautern, told the German public broadcaster ARD, that safety ultimately depends on how well these measures are implemented.
Barz said fires could intensify quickly. "A so-called flashover can occur within just three minutes," she said.
Recent deadly fires in bars and clubs in Europe
In March 2025, a fire at the Pulse nightclub in Kocani, North Macedonia, killed about 60 people after indoor pyrotechnics set flammable materials alight. Reports later pointed to inadequate escape routes and insufficient fire safety systems, which hampered efforts to evacuate the venue.
In April 2024, a fire at the Masquerade Club in Istanbul, Turkey, killed at least 29 people while the venue was closed for renovation work. The victims were mainly workers and club staff who were inside the building at the time. Investigators believe the fire was triggered by illegal welding work in the basement of a residential building. The situation was made worse by blocked escape routes and safety systems that were not functioning,
In October 2023, an early-morning fire at the Fonda Milagros club in Murcia, Spain, killed at least 13 people and injured around two dozen others. The fire spread rapidly through connected club spaces, prompting serious questions about licensing practices and compliance with fire safety regulations.
