Sparklers on Champagne Bottles Blamed in Deadly Fire
People mourn near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dozens dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
Authorities believe that celebratory sparklers attached to champagne bottles sparked a deadly fire at a bar in Switzerland during New Year’s celebrations. The sparklers were apparently held too close to the ceiling inside the venue, Le Constellation, according to Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general of the canton of Valais, as reported by The New York Times.
Images published by the BBC show multiple bottles topped with flaring sparklers, including one photo of a young woman holding a sparkler while sitting on someone’s shoulders. Investigators say the ceiling caught fire quickly, allowing flames to spread throughout the bar.
Survivors described scenes of panic as people rushed to escape through the bar’s only stairway. Authorities confirmed that 40 people died in the blaze, most of them teenagers or people in their twenties. Dozens more were injured, including four who remain in intensive care.
Pilloud compared the sparklers to common “birthday candles you can buy in a shop.” Investigators are also examining whether the bar met fire safety regulations. “It’s essential we don’t make any assumptions,” Pilloud said. “Leave us to do our work.”
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