The popular Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana is reeling from a devastating New Year's Eve fire that killed dozens and left many more fighting for their lives. Amidst the growing grief and uncertainty, the harrowing accounts of survivors are beginning to emerge, painting a picture of a night of celebration that turned into a nightmare.
'We saw terrible things': A survivor's trauma
Lupo Guagliumi, a 15-year-old from Milan, was among the revellers at Le Constellation bar on the evening of 31 December 2025. By a stroke of fate, he and some friends decided to leave for another party just before the inferno broke out. Returning to the scene, he was met with chaos and horror.
"We heard what happened, so we rushed over," Guagliumi told Sky News. "We saw terrible things… we saw flames. Unfortunately, bodies on the floor, people screaming and then police came." He described a desperate urge to help, but authorities ordered him back, leaving him to grapple with the trauma of not knowing the fate of his friends inside.
The agonising wait for missing friends
For Guagliumi and countless others, the aftermath is defined by an agonising lack of information. He believes three friends are in intensive care, badly burned and placed in an induced coma. At least five others are hospitalised with severe, but lesser, burns.
The uncertainty extends further. "Some are lost, and we don't know where they are. I tried texting them, calling them, they're not answering. So maybe around 10-15 people," he said. The possibility that victims may be unidentifiable in hospital adds another layer of torment to the wait for families and friends.
A resort scarred by tragedy
The tragedy has left a deep scar on Crans-Montana, a resort Guagliumi's family has visited for holidays over the last decade. The bar, packed with teenagers celebrating the arrival of 2026, is now the site of one of Switzerland's worst recent fire disasters.
Authorities suspect the blaze was ignited by sparklers raised in champagne bottles too close to the ceiling, a festive gesture with catastrophic consequences. Guagliumi, who had been in the bar the previous night and took photos of sparklers in the basement, reflected on the sudden turn of events. "It was the worst thing that could have happened on New Year's," he said. "It's hard to know Crans-Montana is now associated with this."
His voice broke with emotion as he considered his own narrow escape. "I could have stayed there," Guagliumi said. "It's very scary, seeing as though it could have happened to me as well." As the community mourns, the search for answers and accountability begins, set against a backdrop of profound loss and a resort forever changed.
