Scrutiny turns to safety measures at Swiss bar after deadly fire

Scrutiny is intensifying over safety measures taken at a Swiss bar that caught fire during a New Year’s party, killing at least 40 people, as prosecutors said the blaze likely started when sparkling candles were placed too close to a ceiling.

Witnesses reported seeing staff at Le Constellation bar carrying so-called fountain candles over bottles of champagne, and questions were also raised about a foam material used to soundproof the basement ceiling where revelers were dancing.

Béatrice Pilloud, attorney general of Valais, the canton that is home to the bar at the upscale Crans-Montana ski resort, said available indications were that the fire started because the sparklers were too close to the ceiling.

“From there, a rapid, very rapid, widespread fire ensued,” she said Friday afternoon.

Further investigations will show whether anyone faces criminal liability following the fire, Pilloud said.

WATCH | Investigations carried out so far suggest that sparklers caused the fatal fire:

The National | Swiss bar fire possibly caused by sparklers

January 2, 2026 | Video shows the final moments of a deadly New Year’s Eve bar fire in Switzerland, likely ignited by sparks in champagne bottles. US President Donald Trump denies reports of health problems. And Ontario is forcing public servants to return to the office full time.

Investigations will focus on renovations to the bar, fire suppression systems and emergency exits, as well as the number of people in the building when the fire started, prosecutors said.

Police arrived quickly on the scene, residents said, but the fire burned the victims so badly that investigators estimated it would take several days to identify the bodies. So far, authorities have only identified a teenage Italian international golfer, Emanuele Galeppini. According to two people close to the investigation, some of the victims could be under 16 years old.

Local residents said the bar was popular with young people, and the Swiss government said most of the dead were likely young people. Beer and wine can be drunk from the age of 16 in Switzerland.

One of the bar’s owners, Jacques Moretti, told the Tribune de Genève that Le Constellation had been inspected three times in 10 years and that everything was done according to the rules. Reuters was not immediately able to contact the bar’s owners for comment.

Stéphane Ganzer, head of security in Valais, said the investigation would determine whether the bar had undergone its annual building inspections, but noted the city had not raised concerns or reported any defects to the canton.

“This tragic incident will have major consequences on the safety of bars in Valais and throughout Switzerland,” said Sebastian Steuer, an entrepreneur living near Savièse.

WATCH | Witnesses recall heartbreaking New Year’s Eve night:

Witnesses describe shock of seeing burn victims flee bar fire

Two witnesses who were in the resort town of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on New Year’s Eve told reporters of the horror of watching people try to escape a raging bar fire. (WARNING: This video includes descriptions of the victims’ burns.)

“Really scared and panicked”

Grieving residents continued to pay their respects to the fire victims Friday, laying flowers and tributes nearby, even as police began reopening the area around the cordoned off bar in the heart of the wealthy mountain town.

One of them, Ashley Hauri, 23, said that just before the fire broke out, she was about to go to Constellation to meet friends. Ultimately, she decided against it.

Six of her former colleagues, aged between 20 and 40, were inside when the fire broke out, she said. Two of them ended up in the hospital; the other four are still missing.

“I was really shocked,” said Hauri, who immediately tried to contact her friends. “But I had no answers and I was really scared and panicked because I wanted to do something.”