40-Year-Old Swiss Bar Le Constellation, Gutted In New Year Day's Fire, Was A Football Match Hotspot

A major fire broke out at a popular bar in Switzerland's Crans-Montana municipality during New Year celebrations, leaving dozens feared dead and more than 100 injured, as revealed by the Swiss Police on Thursday.

According to a report by BBC, Le Constellation, the bar where the devastating fire broke out in Switzerland's Crans-Montana, has long been a landmark in the region.

About The Bar

A part of the BBC report read, "The bar where the fire happened is a real institution here. It's been around for at least 40 years."

Providing further historical context, the report explained that the bar had once been closely associated with major international sporting events hosted in the resort. "It's a big bar, and it's not posh. But this is quite a posh ski resort; there's quite a lot of luxury here - it was famous in the 1980s for hosting the World Cup skiing, and that's coming back."

Elaborating on how the bar stood apart from the surrounding luxury establishments in the area, the report mentioned, "A lot of the bars are luxurious, but the Constellation was not like that. It's a really big bar; it's got an upstairs with TV screens where people go and watch football matches."

Describing the layout and atmosphere inside the venue, the report added that the lower level was designed for large crowds and social gatherings.

The report also explained the kind of crowd the bar typically attracted, especially during festive periods such as New Year's Eve. "You go there for beers - it's a kind of young bar. It would've been a mixture of young people, Swiss people, people coming up from the valleys to celebrate here in Crans-Montana."

Given its popularity with visitors, the report suggested the bar would have drawn an international crowd as well. "There would have been a mixture of nationalities as well, you would think," added the report.

Shedding light on the venue's capacity and operating hours, the report mentioned authorities are still trying to establish how many people were inside at the time of the blaze. "The Constellation Bar could hold up to 300 people and had a small terrace - although we still have no precise numbers of how many were inside on New Year's Eve."

The report further noted that the bar was nearing its usual closing time when the fire reportedly began. "It usually closes at 02:00 local time, which would have been 30 minutes after the fire began."

However, it remains uncertain whether the bar was scheduled to operate beyond its normal hours due to the New Year celebrations. The report mentioned, "It is unclear if it was due to stay open later for the 2026 celebrations."

About The Fire Incident

The fire broke out at around 1:30 am local time (00:30 GMT). Swiss police confirmed it was a fire incident and ruled out any link to terrorism.

The region's head of security said "several dozen" people are feared dead, while the exact number of casualties remains unclear.

About Crans-Montana

Crans-Montana is a well-known municipality in southwest Switzerland, located in the French-speaking canton of Valais. It is a popular holiday destination offering a mix of summer and winter activities, luxury shopping, fine dining, and stunning panoramic views.

The area lies about 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the Matterhorn and is roughly two hours from the Swiss capital, Bern.

In summer, Crans-Montana attracts visitors with its nine lakes, Alpine forests, and scenic meadows. During winter, it offers snowy slopes, glacier plateau trails for cross-country skiing, toboggan runs, a snow park, and one of Switzerland's largest ice rinks located in the heart of the town.

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