On Thursday, New Year’s Day, disaster struck at a bar in Switzerland. A fire tore through the bar at the Crans-Montana ski resort, approximately 120 miles outside of  Geneva, Switzerland. The horrific fire left 40 residents dead and 119 seriously injured. 

  The fire started at the bar named Le Constellation. Officers and officials believe that candles or sparklers placed inside champagne bottles on the scene sent steam and sparks up towards the ceiling, catching the ceiling on fire. A report from PBS News stated, “Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female colleague on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling.” The fire began at about 1:30 am during a New Year’s celebration.

  When the fire began, a group of people in the bar tried to run away from the blaze through the basement, up a flight of stairs, and through a small, narrow door. However, everyone trying to escape at once caused a crowd surge. PBS News also stated, “A young man at the scene said people smashed windows to escape, BFMTV reported. He said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames.”

  Investigators have concluded that the sparklers in the champagne bottles, despite leading to the fire, were permitted within the space. Authorities are also currently investigating if the material on the ceiling was designed to muffle sounds, which could’ve contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. 

  After some investigation, Swiss authorities are saying that out-of-date safety inspections for the bar may have also contributed to the fire. According to NBC News, “the head of Crans-Montana’s municipal government, Nicolas Féraud, said that there had been inspections of Le Constellation up to 2019.” NBC News also stated, “the local council discovered after consulting documents, after the fire, that periodic checks were not carried out between 2020 and 2025.”

  Staff members’ limited safety training also may have played a role in the fire. BBC News reported that, “A staff member who was working at the Swiss bar where a deadly fire broke out on New Year’s Eve received no safety training and was unaware of the danger posed by the ceiling that caught alight, her family’s lawyer has alleged.” 

  The twenty-four year-old, Cyane Panine, tragically passed away in the fire. Her family has accused the bar owners, Jaques and Jessica Moretti, of “manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.”

  Prosecutors have detained Jaques Moretti in a pre-trial detention facility after a meeting with lawyers. ABC News stated, “Moretti’s wife and business partner Jessica Moretti also attended the meeting but was not detained, according to the office. She was present at the bar during the fire and was burned on her arm.”

  Authorities continue to investigate the fire as of today, while prayers continue going to loved ones and survivors of the disaster that occurred on New Year’s Eve.