Scrutiny turns to safety arrangements at Swiss bar after deadly blaze
Investigations will reveal whether anyone faces criminal liability, says lead prosecutor
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Scrutiny is intensifying over the safety arrangements at a Swiss bar that burst into flames during a New Year’s Eve party, killing at least 40 people, as prosecutors said the blaze likely began when sparkling candles were held too close to a ceiling.
Witnesses reported seeing staff at the Le Constellation bar carrying so-called fountain candles atop bottles of champagne, and questions have also arisen about a foam material used to soundproof the ceiling of the basement where revellers danced.
Beatrice Pilloud, chief prosecutor of Valais, the canton that is home to the bar in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana, said available indications were that the fire started because the sparklers got too close to the ceiling.
“From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread blaze ensued,” she said on Friday afternoon.
Further investigations will show whether anyone faces criminal liability over the fire, Pilloud said.
WATCH | Investigations so far suggest sparklers caused deadly blaze:
The National | Swiss bar fire likely caused by sparklers
January 3|
Duration45:57Jan. 2, 2026 | Video emerges of the final moments of deadly New Year’s Eve bar fire in Switzerland likely ignited by sparkers in champagne bottles. U.S. President Donald Trump refutes reports of health issues. And Ontario forces public servants back to the office full time.
Investigations will focus on renovations made to the bar, the fire extinguishing systems and escape routes, as well as the number of people in the building when the fire started, prosecutors said.
Police arrived quickly at the scene, according to local residents, but the fire burned victims so severely that investigators said they would need days to identify the bodies. So far, officials have only identified a teenage Italian international golfer, Emanuele Galeppini. According to two people familiar with the investigation, some of the victims may be under 16.
Local residents said the bar was popular with young people, and the Swiss government said many of the dead were likely youths. Beer and wine can be drunk from age 16 in Switzerland.
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One of the bar’s owners, Jacques Moretti, told the Tribune de Genève newspaper that Le Constellation had been checked three times in 10 years and that everything was done according to the rules. Reuters was not immediately able to contact the bar’s owners for comment.
Stéphane Ganzer, head of security in Valais, said the investigation would determine if the bar had undergone its annual building inspections but noted that the town had not raised concerns or reported defects to the canton.
“This tragic incident is going to have major consequences for bar safety in Valais and the whole of Switzerland,” said Sebastian Steuer, an entrepreneur who lives in nearby Savièse.
WATCH | Witnesses recall harrowing night on New Year’s Eve:
Witnesses describe shock of seeing burn victims flee bar fire
January 3|
Duration1:48Two witnesses who were in the Crans-Montana, Switzerland, resort community on New Year’s Eve told journalists about the horror of seeing people try to escape a raging bar fire. (WARNING: This video includes descriptions of victims’ burns injuries.)
‘Really scared and panicked’
Grieving residents continued paying their respects to the victims of the blaze on Friday, leaving flowers and tributes nearby, even as police began reopening the area around the cordoned-off bar in the heart of the wealthy mountain town.
One of them, Ashley Hauri, 23, said that just before the fire broke out, she had been on the verge of going to Le Constellation to catch up with friends. Ultimately, she decided against it.
Six of her former co-workers ranging in age from their 20s to their 40s were inside when the blaze erupted, she said. Two of them ended up in hospital; the other four are still missing.
“I was really shocked,” said Hauri, who had immediately tried to contact her friends. “But I had no answers, and I was really scared and panicked because I wanted to do something.”
Police, firefighters set to face off in first Rockford Hero Rumble
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Nicole Scott and Lexi Beu are normally partners on the opposite end of dispatch calls. On Saturday, they’ll be opponents in the opposite corners of the boxing ring.
Scott is a dispatcher employed by the Rockford Fire Department, but she handles emergency calls for city police. She said she’s dispatched Beu, a Rockford police officer, many times. They’ll meet in the ring Saturday to see who will dispatch who.
“She’s strong, she’s going to be a good competitor. I might be a little faster, she might be a little stronger, so we’ll see,” Scott said.
Scott and Beu will face off in one of six bouts that pit police versus firefighters in the first Rockford Hero Rumble. The charity boxing event at Hard Rock Casino Rockford raises money for the Carrie Lynn Children’s Center, a nonprofit that supports families in Boone and Winnebago counties that are grappling with the challenges of child abuse.
The event is a co-production of Plus Seven Co. and Jimmy Goodman, club director of Rockford Boxing Club and vice president of USA Boxing Illinois. That duo is also behind the annual Rockford Boxing Classic, an outdoor amateur boxing event at Rockford City Market pavilion in downtown.
The duo hosted a media day for the upcoming fight Tuesday at Rockford Boxing Club, where six of the competitors took questions from reporters.
Beu said she has been interested in participating in the police versus fire portion of the Rockford Boxing Classic for the past three years. The first year things didn’t fall into place with her opponent. The second she broke her finger on patrol. Now, those matches have been moved from being one component of the Boxing Classic to their own event.
“We have a lot of high, violent calls that we have to go hands-on for, so I’m used to doing that kind of stuff,” Beu said of her fighting experience. Those fights, she said, have a different goal. “You want to go home at the end of the night.”
Scott recognizes that the daily challenges of a patrol officer could be an advantage for Beu.
“That is an advantage for her. She has probably some more scrapping experience,” Scott said. “But I keep telling people: I’m the youngest of five kids, I also have scrapping experience.”
For Loves Park firefighter Alex Miramontes, Saturday’s fight night is a chance to debut the skills he’s been building for roughly four years of training at Rockford Boxing Club, 727 First Ave. He’ll face Rockford police officer James Nachampassack, who is 1-1 against firefighters at the Rockford Boxing Classic.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to show what the years of training have looked like,” Miramontes said.
Rockford police officer Michael Roushia will face Rockford firefighter Brandon Sullivan in the heavyweight division, which headlines Saturday’s card. Roushia, a former wrestler, said he’s been sparring, hitting pads and doing two-a-day workouts to prepare for the fight.
“At the end of the day it’s really more of that competitive spirit. It’s going to be fun,” Roushia said. “He’s been in here every day that I’ve been in here.”
Loves Park firefighter Raul Rangel will face Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputy Tyler Borgen in the cruiserweight division. It’s Rangel’s first bout, but he has also been training at Rockford Boxing Club.
“I’m going to give it my all, do everything I can for it,” Rangel said. “I’m going to go in with a high heart, high everything, knowing I have a department behind my back supporting me along the way and a lot of friends coming there. I’m going to do my best.”
Several of the boxers emphasized that the real goal is to raise money for the Carrie Lynn Children’s Center, which the departments selected as the charity to benefit from the event.
“When it’s our partners that choose us and show us that they value what we do and they can see the worth in impact of the services we provide on the victims that we all are dedicated to means the world,” said Kathy Pomahac, executive director of Carrie Lynn Children’s Center. “Without them having faith in our ability, we wouldn’t exist. So the fact that they chose us for this was huge.”
The nonprofit serves approximately 700 children a year and it’s funded by donations and grants.
“State grants and federal grants get more and more precarious all the time, so we have to figure out how to be more viable outside of that,” Pomahac said. “This is how we do it by raising money in the community.”
Goodman said firefighters and police officers show courage on the job every day. That same courage will be on display in the ring.
“This is not easy,” he said. ” It takes a lot of courage to get in that ring.”
If you go | Rockford Hero Rumble
When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 (first fight at 7 p.m.)
Where: Hard Rock Live, 7801 E. State St., Rockford
Cost: Tickets start at $30
Info/buy tickets: rockfordherorumble.com
6 police vs. fire matchups
- Light Heavyweight Men: Davonte Williams (Winnebago Country Sheriff’s Office) vs. Owen Seabold (Stillman Valley Fire)
- Super Middleweight Women: Alexis Beu (Rockford Police Department) vs. Nicole Scott (dispatcher representing Rockford Fire Department)
- Cruiserweight Men: Tyler Borgen (Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office) vs. Raul Rangel (Loves Park Fire Department)
- Light Heavyweight Women: Claudia Grenlund (Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office) vs. Kimberly Delgado (Cherry Valley Fire Department)
- Cruiserweight Men: James Nachampassack (Rockford Police Department) vs. Alex Miramontes (Loves Park Fire Department)
- Heavyweight Men: Michael Roushia (Rockford Police Department) vs. Brandon Sullivan (Rockford Fire Department)
