Overview
- The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. at Le Constellation in Crans-Montana during New Year’s celebrations.
- Police report several dozen fatalities, with the Italian foreign ministry citing about 40 deaths, and roughly 100 to 115 people injured, many with severe burns.
- Investigators have ruled out an attack and are examining whether a sparkler or firework near a wooden ceiling triggered a rapid flashover.
- Emergency services deployed about 10 to 13 helicopters and 40 to 42 ambulances, set up improvised triage sites, transferred patients to hospitals in multiple cities, and imposed a no-fly zone.
- The bar’s basement layout with a narrow stairway may have hampered evacuation, and officials say identification of victims will take time as consular support is coordinated for foreign nationals.