Switzerland ski fire latest: ‘Several dozen’ believed to have been killed in Crans-Montana bar

French nationals Emma and Albane were ringing in the new year at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana when the fire broke out in the early hours of the morning.

The pair tell BFMTV they believe the blaze was the result of a candle being “held
too close to the ceiling, which caught fire”.

They claim one of the waitresses had put “birthday candles” on top of some champagne bottles, one of which was then held up.

“In a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was ablaze. Everything was made of wood,” they say.

They say the flames “started to rise very quickly”, adding that “the entire ceiling was on fire, even the first floor was on fire” as they tried to make their way outside.

Evacuation was “very difficult”, Emma and Albane say, because the escape route out of the room they were in was “narrow” and the stairs leading outside were “even narrower”.

“We were very lucky,” they add, saying there were “about 200 people trying to get out within 30 seconds through some very narrow steps”.