The horrific blaze broke out at around 1.30am in the town of Crans-Montana when loud pops and bangs were heard as emergency services rushed to the scene
Around 40 people died and hundreds more were seriously burned when a New Year’s Day fire spread through a packed Swiss ski bar in the Alps today.
Horror broke out at around 1.30am in the town of Crans-Montana, in the Valois canton, when loud pops and bangs were heard.
“There were sparklers on all tables in the Constellation, and people were celebrating the new year,’ said an emergency services spokesman, referring to the hugely popular venue, which had around 400 people inside.
“Suddenly a fire broke out, and people tried to get out of the confined space, causing chaos.”
There was no immediate evidence as to what caused the blaze, but there were fears that ‘sparklers may have toppled over’, and lit New Year’s decorations, said the source.
This was later backed up as witnesses believe the fire was started by a sparkler that was put into a champagne bottle in the basement of a nightclub.
“Some of the bottles were near the ceiling and it caught fire. The whole ceiling was in flames and the fire spread really fast. It happened in seconds. We ran outside, screaming and crying,“ Emma, who declined to give her surname, told French news channel BFM.
The explosion may have been caused later on, when the gas supply was ignited, he added. Police forensics experts were at the scene on Thursday morning, combing what was left of the bar.
Terrorism was soon ruled out, as there was no sign of an explosive device, said the source.
Frédéric Gisler, commander of the Valais cantonal police, said: “We are devastated by what just happened. Many people are presumed dead.’
And Béatrice Pilloud, Attorney General of the Canton of Valais, said: “We are focusing on the fire. There is absolutely no question of any kind of attack. The loud explosion heard is believed to be a consequence of the fire, and not the cause.”
Firefighters were on the scene within minutes, and managed to contain the blaze by dawn.
None of the victims have yet been identified, while survivors have been taken to hospitals and burns clinics in Switzerland and nearby France.
Stéphane Ganzer, a member of the Valais cantonal government, said Swiss hospitals are ‘facing an influx of injured people’, most with burns. The area around the fire was soon shut down, and a no-fly zone was imposed over Crans-Montana.
The Constellation is regularly packed with people from all over the world, many of them youngsters who have been skiing and snowboarding.
Crans-Montana is a popular ski resort, and visited by thousands of British holidaymakers every year.