Swiss Investigators Say Sparklers Likely Ignited Crans-Montana New Year Bar Fire

Overview

• Valais officials confirmed 40 dead and 119 injured, with 14 victims still unidentified and patients treated in Lausanne, Geneva and Zürich, plus transfers to France and Italy.
• Prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud cited videos and witness accounts pointing to sparkler‑style candles on champagne bottles as the likely ignition source, while acoustic ceiling materials are being examined for compliance.
• Police said the incident is not being treated as an attack and that explosions reported by witnesses were consequences of the blaze in the two‑level venue that includes a basement floor.
• Foreign nationals are among the casualties; Italy reported injured citizens and missing people, France counted injured and unaccounted for, and the first named victim was Italian golfer Emanuele Galeppini, 16.
• Consular teams and a local crisis center are supporting families as forensic identification proceeds, while separate New Year road crashes in Brazil left multiple fatalities and injuries under investigation in Goiás and Rondônia.