A deadly fire tore through a nightclub at a luxury ski resort in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, early New Year’s Day, killing at least 40 people and injuring more than 100, according to Swiss authorities. Investigators say the blaze broke out shortly after midnight during New Year’s celebrations at the venue known as “Le Constellation.”
Among the first civilians to respond was Paolo Campolo, an Italian-Swiss dual citizen who lives nearby. Campolo left his own New Year’s Eve gathering and ran toward the bar after seeing flames and receiving a frantic call from his 17-year-old daughter.
“I was at home celebrating with my partner and friends,” Campolo told Italian outlet Il Messaggero from his hospital bed. “It was around 1:20 am when I saw blazing flames coming from the windows. Then my daughter Paolina called and it shocked me: ‘Dad, there’s been a massacre, there’s a fire, and there are many injured.'”
Campolo said revelers inside the bar had earlier been waving flaming champagne bottles, which authorities believe ignited the ceiling. By the time he arrived, flames had subsided, but thick smoke filled the building.
“The combustion was very rapid, violent, and lasted only a few minutes. Then it stopped. But there was no more oxygen inside. And that’s what caused the carnage,” he said.
Carrying a fire extinguisher, Campolo entered the area but quickly realized it was useless. “I immediately realized the fire extinguisher wasn’t needed. I tried not to lose my temper. Help hadn’t arrived yet. I looked for an alternative way out,” he said.
With the help of another man, Campolo found a rear exit but discovered it was blocked or locked. Through the glass, he said he could see people trapped inside. “Behind it, through the glass, I could see feet and hands. Bodies on the ground,” he said.
The two men forced open a nearby window and began pulling people out. “We put our foot against the adjacent window and pulled with all our might,” Campolo said, adding that firefighters were still organizing when they began the rescue.
Campolo later found his daughter outside the bar, shaken but unharmed. Her boyfriend escaped the fire with severe burns and remains hospitalized in Basel in critical condition. Campolo himself was treated for smoke poisoning, while his fiancée was seriously injured and is also hospitalized.
Swiss authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the incident. The bar’s two managers are under investigation on suspicion of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm, and involuntarily causing a fire.
Among the first civilians to respond was Paolo Campolo, an Italian-Swiss dual citizen who lives nearby. Campolo left his own New Year’s Eve gathering and ran toward the bar after seeing flames and receiving a frantic call from his 17-year-old daughter.
“I was at home celebrating with my partner and friends,” Campolo told Italian outlet Il Messaggero from his hospital bed. “It was around 1:20 am when I saw blazing flames coming from the windows. Then my daughter Paolina called and it shocked me: ‘Dad, there’s been a massacre, there’s a fire, and there are many injured.'”
Campolo said revelers inside the bar had earlier been waving flaming champagne bottles, which authorities believe ignited the ceiling. By the time he arrived, flames had subsided, but thick smoke filled the building.
“The combustion was very rapid, violent, and lasted only a few minutes. Then it stopped. But there was no more oxygen inside. And that’s what caused the carnage,” he said.
Carrying a fire extinguisher, Campolo entered the area but quickly realized it was useless. “I immediately realized the fire extinguisher wasn’t needed. I tried not to lose my temper. Help hadn’t arrived yet. I looked for an alternative way out,” he said.
With the help of another man, Campolo found a rear exit but discovered it was blocked or locked. Through the glass, he said he could see people trapped inside. “Behind it, through the glass, I could see feet and hands. Bodies on the ground,” he said.
The two men forced open a nearby window and began pulling people out. “We put our foot against the adjacent window and pulled with all our might,” Campolo said, adding that firefighters were still organizing when they began the rescue.
Campolo later found his daughter outside the bar, shaken but unharmed. Her boyfriend escaped the fire with severe burns and remains hospitalized in Basel in critical condition. Campolo himself was treated for smoke poisoning, while his fiancée was seriously injured and is also hospitalized.
Swiss authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the incident. The bar’s two managers are under investigation on suspicion of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm, and involuntarily causing a fire.
