Investigators probing the lethal New Year’s Day fire at a Swiss resort bar are trying into the chance that it began from sparklers that have been too near the ceiling.
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Lawyer Normal, instructed reporters Friday that investigators have been nonetheless conducting interviews and going by means of proof from the wreckage on the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana however she stated that they’re “pursuing a number of hypotheses,” based mostly on the proof they’ve gathered thus far.
This {photograph} exhibits the doorway of the bar Le Constellation the place a hearth ripped by means of the venue throughout New Yr’s celebrations, killing round 40 folks and injuring greater than 100 others, within the Alpine ski-resort city of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Jan. 2, 2026.
Maxime Schmid/AFP through Getty Photographs
“We at the moment assume that the fireplace was brought on by sparklers connected to champagne bottles that got here too near the ceiling,” she stated at a information convention.
“Preliminary proof has been secured on the scene,” Pilloud added.
Forty folks have been killed and 119 folks have been injured within the blaze, in accordance with authorities who stated the fireplace unfold very quickly.
Investigators are working to determine the deceased victims.
Pierre-Antoine Lengen, head of the Swiss Judicial Police, speaks throughout a press convention following a hearth and an explosion on the “Le Constellation” bar, throughout a New Yr’s Eve celebration within the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, in Sion, Switzerland, Jan. 2, 2026.
Lisa Leutner/Reuters
“No errors might be permitted. We have to give the right stays again to the households,” Pierre-Antoine Lengen, the pinnacle of the Swiss Judicial Police, instructed reporters.
Of the injured, 71 have been Swiss residents, 14 have been French, 11 have been Italian, and others have been from Bosnia, Serbia, Portugal and Belgium, in accordance with officers.
Mourners lay flowers and candles close to the bar Le Constellation the place a hearth ripped by means of the venue throughout New Yr’s celebrations, killing round 40 folks and injuring greater than 100 others, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Jan. 2, 2026.
Maxime Schmid/AFP through Getty Photographs
The nationalities of the 14 different injured victims weren’t instantly decided.
Pilloud stated that extra interviews will likely be performed and famous that investigators spoke with the 2 French managers of the bar.
Law enforcement officials stand guard close to the bar Le Constellation, the place a hearth ripped by means of the venue throughout New Yr’s celebrations, killing round 40 folks and injuring greater than 100 others, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Jan. 2, 2026.
Maxime Schmid/AFP through Getty Photographs
“For now, there is no such thing as a penal legal responsibility which has been recognized,” she stated when a reporter requested about any legal responsibility.
Law enforcement officials examine the world the place a hearth broke out on the Le Constellation bar and lounge throughout a New Yr’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Jan. 1, 2026.
Alessandro della Valle/Keystone through AP
Investigators are additionally trying into the constructing’s security measures and constructing laws, in accordance with Pilloud.
This can be a growing story. Please test again for updates.
