Swiss Alps Ski Resort Fire: What We Know

The fire at a bar in a popular ski resort killed around 40 people and injured more than 100, officials said. The cause was still unknown.

Around 40 people were killed and 115 others were injured after a fire broke out early Thursday morning at a bar at a ski resort in Crans-Montana, an Alpine town in southern Switzerland, the police said.

Officials said the fire started during a New Year’s celebration. Hours later, investigators were still seeking to determine the cause of the fire, which set off at least one explosion, but they said they had ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack. The authorities said the victims were likely of many nationalities.

“What should have been a moment of joy turned into a night of mourning in Crans-Montana, affecting the whole of Switzerland and abroad,” President Guy Parmelin of Switzerland wrote on social media.

Here’s what we know about the disaster.

The fire started shortly after midnight.

The blaze broke out around 1:30 a.m. at a New Year's party at Le Constellation, a bar in Crans-Montana, a municipality in Valais, a French-speaking canton, the police said.

Video footage taken by a witness showed people outside the burning building. It was filmed by a tourist from New York, who said he had seen people running screaming from the bar, according to the Agence France-Presse news agency.

The Swiss authorities also released images of the bar after the fire, showing a jumble of benches and chairs, damaged cushions and a single shoe on the floor.

“While this evening should have been a time for celebration and gathering, it turned into a nightmare,” Matthias Reynard, a senior member of the regional council, said at a news conference.

Emergency services sent 10 helicopters and 40 ambulances to help take the injured to hospitals, officials said at the news conference. The emergency ward and operating rooms of the nearest major medical center ran out of space, they said.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Beatrice Pilloud, the prosecutor general for the area, declined to comment on the cause of the fire at a news conference on Thursday, stressing that the investigation had just started. But she ruled out a terrorist attack and said that the police were not looking for any suspects.

“An investigation has been launched, not against anyone, but to shed light on the circumstances surrounding this tragic fire,” she said.

The Swiss authorities said that one or two explosions at the bar were caused by a “flashover” — when all combustible material in a room ignites simultaneously, turning a growing fire into an inferno.

Many of the victims were young revelers.

The authorities have yet to publicly identify any victims, but officials said that given that the town is a popular tourist destination, foreign nationals were likely to be among them.

Philipp Simmen, head of the Swiss helicopter rescue team that has coordinated getting the injured to hospitals, told the Swiss public broadcaster SRF that many of the victims were young.

Government officials in France and Italy confirmed that citizens of those countries were among those injured or unaccounted for.

Mr. Parmelin, who began his second term as Switzerland’s president on Thursday, postponed a scheduled New Year’s address and traveled to the scene of the fire to speak with emergency workers.

Some victims were still “fighting for their lives,” he said at a news conference on Thursday evening.

The number of people with severe burns far exceeded the capacity of Switzerland’s burn units and national disaster center.

About 50 people are believed to have been badly burned, according to Dr. Robert Larribau, the head of emergency care at Geneva’s University Hospital.

The hospital closest to the fire, in Sion, Switzerland, was initially overwhelmed by the rush of victims, Dr. Larribau said. Transfers of patients to hospitals in Germany, Italy and France were expected to start later on Thursday or Friday, he said.

Officials said that one of the most urgent tasks was identifying the victims, and they asked those with relatives who may have been affected by the fire to contact the authorities.

“Significant resources are also being deployed to enable the bodies to be returned to their families as quickly as possible,” Ms. Pilloud said.

The resort is a popular international ski destination.

The ski resort of Crans-Montana is more than a century old and is known as a high-end destination popular with families and international visitors. About three million people visit each year, according to the resort’s website.

The resort is about 120 miles east of Geneva and is famed for its restaurants and luxury stores, and as the site of big sporting events, including World Cup ski races and major golf tournaments. It was scheduled to host the men’s and women’s World Cup races later this month.

In 2024, Vail Resorts, the world’s biggest ski resort operator, acquired Crans-Montana, planning to invest heavily to update its infrastructure, including snow-making facilities.

“It’s a very chic international resort,” said Amin Momen, the founder of Momentum Experiences, a London-based travel company that organizes corporate ski events, including in Crans-Montana.

December is a popular time for families to plan vacations there, Mr. Momen said.

The bar where the fire is thought to have broken out, Le Constellation, was a “casual” gathering place, Mr. Momen said, not the type of luxury nightspot that the resort is known for. The bar was big, with an upstairs and downstairs area, and foreign visitors often went there to watch sports, like Premier League soccer, he said.

The bar was popular with young people, according to SRF.

Reporting was contributed by Christopher F. Schuetze, John Yoon, Isabella Kwai, Aurelien Breeden, Monika Cvorak and Nick Cumming-Bruce

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