Natural & Technological DisastersEvent: 1 January 2026Published: 17 October 2026· By ARMSMA10

92 seconds in Le Constellation: why did a New Year's bar fire kill 41 people?

At 01:26:58 on 1 January 2026, a first spark became visible on the camera footage of Le Constellation, a bar in the Valais ski resort of Crans-Montana. Ninety-two seconds later, the room was in a general blaze. That is the timeline in a report on the investigators' analysis of the bar's cameras (La Libre Belgique, citing the report as seen by Le Parisien and franceinfo).

The fire broke out in the bar's basement during New Year celebrations. The first reports said 40 people had died. On 1 February the Valais prosecutor's office said an 18-year-old had died in hospital the day before, raising the toll to 41 (Paris Match Belgique).

A minute and a half is very little time to get out of a basement. The questions now before Swiss prosecutors are why the room caught so fast, and why so many people could not reach the door. By September, 17 people were defendants; no court has ruled. Below: what is established, what is only alleged, and what Swiss fire-safety rules say every venue must get right.

How many were hurt, and when did it start?

Even the basic figures differ by source. The Swiss foreign ministry counted 116 injured, 83 of them still in hospital, as of 5 January. An independent timeline later records 115, after a correction. CTIF cited 119 in the first days. Many of the injured had severe burns.

The time differs too. Police said the fire began at about 01:30; the camera analysis puts the first spark a few minutes earlier.

What turned a celebration into a flashover?

The Valais prosecutor's leading hypothesis: sparklers on champagne bottles came too close to the ceiling, which was lined with acoustic foam, and caused a rapid flashover (CTIF). It is a hypothesis in an ongoing criminal investigation, not a finding of a court.

The foam, reportedly, was never specifically inspected. The municipality has acknowledged a failure of periodic inspections from 2020 to 2025 (crisisinfo.ch). According to RTS, there were only two in-depth checks in ten years, the last in 2019.

The ceiling explains the speed. It does not explain why so many people stayed trapped.

Why could people not get out?

Emergency officials said many victims were caught on a narrow staircase leading to the only clearly visible exit (CTIF, above).

The reported details of the other ways out are each troubling on their own:

A fire-prevention specialist told franceinfo that the ground-floor door opened inward, against the direction of escape.
A service door was latched shut that night. One of the owners says the latch bent when the door was forced.
Security video shows a chair in front of a basement emergency exit, RTS reports. Nobody yet knows why it was there.

These are reported findings and allegations. Whether they amount to criminal responsibility is for the courts.

Who is being held to account?

Switzerland held a national day of mourning on 9 January 2026, with a minute's silence and a memorial service in Martigny.

Prosecutors opened proceedings for negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson. According to crisisinfo.ch, 17 people were defendants as of 10 September 2026, among them the bar's managers and current and former municipal officials. No indictment had been issued. Being a defendant does not mean being guilty.

What has already changed?

Since 1 April 2026, lighting pyrotechnic devices in indoor premises open to the public is banned across Switzerland. Reports differ on which inter-cantonal body took the decision (Le News; blue News). Both say revised fire-protection rules are expected in autumn 2027.

What we do not know

The cause. The sparkler-and-foam account is the prosecutor's leading hypothesis, not a court conclusion.
Why a chair stood in front of a basement emergency exit.
The exact number of injured (115, 116 or 119, depending on source and date) and the exact time the fire began.
Whether anyone will be indicted, and on what charges.

What should every venue get right?

The following comes from Swiss fire-protection guidance for events, not from findings about this bar. The guide by the cantonal fire-protection offices and the VKF/AEAI leaflet for temporary event structures (which covers tents) state, in substance:

All escape-route doors open in the direction of escape and can be opened quickly without tools.
Escape routes stay free at full width at all times; owners and organisers are responsible.
The organiser sets the maximum occupancy and checks it during the event.
Decorations use only materials that are hard to ignite and do not drip, and never block exits or exit signs.
No open fire in rooms with large occupancy; indoor fireworks of categories F2 to F4 are prohibited, and effects need an authority's permit.
Staff know what to do in a fire and how to raise the alarm.

What to watch next

Two things: whether the investigation produces an indictment, and the revised fire-protection rules expected in autumn 2027. Until then, one rule for anyone in a crowded room: when you arrive, find two exits. If sparklers or fire effects come near a ceiling, leave early.

ARMSMA was founded in September 2026, so this article was written after the event. It was last updated on 17 October 2026 and reflects what the sources below reported up to that date.

Sources

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