Sparkling candles may have led to deadly New Year’s Swiss resort bar fire, investigators say
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on January 2, 2026
(CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland) — Investigators probing the deadly New Year’s Day fire at a Swiss resort bar are looking into the possibility that it started from some sparkling candles.
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Attorney General, told reporters Friday that investigators were still conducting interviews and going through evidence from the wreckage at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana but she said that they are “pursuing several hypotheses,” based on the evidence they’ve gathered so far.
“We currently assume that the fire was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling,” she said at a news conference.
Forty people were killed and 119 people were injured in the blaze, according to authorities who said the fire spread very rapidly.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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