Major fire at New Year’s party in Swiss resort of Crans Montana. Dozens killed and over 100 injured. 😨😨😨

Oh no, Weisser Tee, what a tragic thing to happen. I’m so sorry.

Horrific event in Crans Montana. Such an awful tragedy.
So many young lives lost and changed for ever, when all they wanted to do was see in a New Year with their friends.

Sadly it seems places like this have learned nothing from previous tragedies such as 25 years ago in Volendam.

I saw this on the news this AM.
What a terrible tragedy. I feel for all those families.

Oh, this is awful!

I'm so sorry to hear this, horrible indeed.

How terribly sad.

What a tragic thing to happen at the start of the New Year.

What a horrific thing. As soon as I saw the news I was reminded of the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island several years ago which was eerily similar. It was started by the band's pyrotechnics and ignited the foam ceiling. The back door was locked and many died trying to escape. One hundred died and many survivors had terrible burns. My heart goes out to the victims, their families and the survivors.

Horrific news, mostly young people.

**As soon as I saw the news I was reminded of the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island several years ago which was eerily similar. It was started by the band's pyrotechnics and ignited the foam ceiling. The back door was locked and many died trying to escape.**

We had a similar fire back in the 70s at a club complex (multiple venue rooms in the building) we used to go to across the river from Cincinnati. It turned out to be an electrical fire, but they had multiple fire code violations. Exit doors blocked or locked and 165 died and over 200 injured. It resulted in nationwide fire code changes requiring venues 300+ capacity to have sprinkler systems. It was the first disaster case in the US tried as a class action.

This fire seems to have started with a special drink they were promoting with large sparklers in them. One person on the news claims he saw a woman with 2 of those bottles in her hands holding them up over her head and the ceiling caught on fire. The news here was also reporting only one exit stairway which became blocked with people trying to get out. Most of the people in the KY fire died at the exits either because they were blocked with people or locked. I'm sure Switzerland will revise their fire codes after their investigation.

They were champagne bottles.

It seems lessons are never learned. I referenced the Volendam fire upthread:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volendam_New_Year's_fire

If owners fireproofed decorations, used fireproof materials in the ceilings, and provided proper escape routes, and more importantly local officials checked this and closed these places down if necessary, then tragedies like this wouldn't happen.

How many more young lives must be lost and forever altered before simply rules are imposed and observed?

That is all true, however, unless the owners or employees were handing out the champagne bottles and the sparklers, I don't think they are 100% responsible. If only people used common sense.

Also, when the place you're in catches fire, it's probably smarter to leave rather than stand around filming it.

**unless the owners or employees were handing out the champagne bottles and the sparklers**

They evidently were. They had promoted these sparkler celebratory drinks in the past.

They are still responsible for having plastic ceilings that melt and not having enough fire escapes for the numbers of people they allow entry.
They are absolutely responsible. They provided those drinks with sparklers. They knew the building and decorations were far from fire resistant let alone fire proof, they allowed too many people into the building.

So many lives lost or damaged forever. And even those who managed to escape with little to no physical injury will be scarred for life by what they witnessed. I truly hope Switzerland and other countries review and implement major national revisions to their fire codes for clubs and commercial party venues including:

• Clearly signed, lit, unblocked and easily accessible exits from all floors open to staff and public, including basement party rooms
• No "live" candles -- use LED ones instead
• No sparklers, lighters, etc.
• Flame retardant/fireproof materials throughout for ceilings, walls, fabrics
• Mandatory fire safety training for all employees

Severe penalties, including massive fines and/or closure, for violations. Prison time for repeat offenders.

A neighbor lost her first husband in Boston's Coconut Grove fire back in the 1940s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoanut_Grove_fire

492 people died. After that new safety laws were made but still the more recent Rhode Island fire took place thanks to band's pyrotechnics.

my heart breaks for the parents in Switzerland searching for their chikdren.

In the first minutes, locals tried to do their best in order pull people out of the flam inferno, but this help was limited because they had no masks.
The police and the fire brigade arrived within 5 minutes, followed by physicians, but that was already too late for many burned and smoke poisened people.
The first helicopters of Air Glaciers arrived some 15 minutes later, followed by those of Air Zermatt and Rega. Within 1 hour, there were 48 helicopters on duty.
Severe cases were flown to the intensive care units of the hospitals at Lausanne an Zurich, specialized in the treatment of extensive skin burnings, the others to the intensive care units of the Hopital du Valais at Sion, Sierre and Visp.
Still in the night, specialists begun to try to fin out the identity of the victims and a psychological help team was formed.
The Institute of forensic medecine and forensic science of Zurich (the best in Switzerland) began to work and to investigate.
The first press conference took place at noon, the second one in late afternoon (with orators who hadn't slept for more than 36 hrs).

Youngest person among the so far identified dead was only 14 years old.

Authorities are considering criminal charges against the managers of the bar.