Swiss ski resort fire

[scenario8]

Goodness. You just don’t expect this sort of tragedy in modern times, do you? Not of this magnitude, at least. Awful.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c8xdxvj2qjdt

[Greendubber]

That's absolutely awful. Having spent quite a lot of time in busy ski resort bars I can only imagine how horrific this would have been.

Horrendous

[dukeboy749r]

Very sad and not the story I was expecting would headline the BBC News site, this morning.

[NDA]

Terrible and so shocking for friends and relatives.

I have (like many here) spent many happy hours in packed ski resort bars and can only imagine how it was. Dreadful.

[Petrus1983]

Absolutely tragic. Now around 40 dead which doesn't seem possible in this day and age. RIP to all.

[butchstewie]

I think it's the simplicity of it that's almost more shocking.

It's awful but you sort of expect something a bit more than what almost seems a "simple" fire to do that sort of thing in 2025.

Speculation about pyrotechnics in some of the reporting.

Makes you think

[Randy Winkman]

Very sad. In my 40 years as a civil servant I'd say that probably the most important day for me was the one where I did the fire warden training.

[Laurel Green]

One moment celebrating with joy, the next...

[Earthdweller]

Terrible tragedy' and significant loss of life it seems

Sadly it seems there's always something like this at Xmas or new year somewhere

[Hugo Stiglitz]

I thought i read 7 dead then the penny dropped. Awful. Only thing I can think of is packed/trapped by a small fire escape point.

I remember one great ski resort bar - full of dark wood and Id have had no idea how to even begin to locate an exit.

[Petrus1983]

BBC reporting it was started by a candle in a champagne bottle - but my experience of a 'candle' in a club is very different from what you'd put on a kids birthday cake.

[ClaphamGT3]

Awful; just awful - my heart goes out to all those affected

[Earthdweller]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

I thought i read 7 dead then the penny dropped. Awful. Only thing I can think of is packed/trapped by a small fire escape point.

I remember one great ski resort bar - full of dark wood and Id have had no idea how to even begin to locate an exit.

Unfortunately almost all people pay zero attention to their location and their exit routes/ options in case of an emergency

Situational awareness can be a life saver

[Petrus1983]

Earthdweller said:

Unfortunately almost all people pay zero attention to their location and their exit routes/ options in case of an emergency

Situational awareness can be a life saver

It was also heaving with highly intoxicated people.

Having seen the footage of the fire the intensity of the flames at the exit points is harrowing.

[vixen1700]

'Several dozen dead'. Christ! That's awful.

[MitchT]

Petrus1983 said:

BBC reporting it was started by a candle in a champagne bottle - but my experience of a 'candle' in a club is very different from what you'd put on a kids birthday cake.

There was one of those on the table when I was out back in December. A few of us noted how easy it would have been for a lamp shade directly above it to catch fire...

[Cheib]

Petrus1983 said:

BBC reporting it was started by a candle in a champagne bottle - but my experience of a 'candle' in a club is very different from what you'd put on a kids birthday cake.

Yes, they re reporting the ceiling caught fire.

It has horrible parallels to this nightclub fire in Bucharest ten years ago.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34684973

Fireworks inside the nightclub, ceiling caught fire. That sparked huge protests because it turned out that the fire safety certificate wasn t genuine, the owners had bribed someone to get a cert issued.

I was travelling a lot to Bucharest at the time.

I m actually at a Swiss ski resort now, fairly close to Crans. New Year is huge here .you ve never seen so many fireworks. It s the one night of the year when the Swiss really let their hair down.

[Bluevanman]

I've seen a witness saying a waiter holding a sparkler was sat on a colleagues shoulders and the sparkler set the ceiling alight

[Petrus1983]

Cheib said:

It has horrible parallels to this nightclub fire in Bucharest ten years ago.

The concerning thing is more people died in the following days than on the actual night - 26 on site, 38 in hospitals. We're already at 40.

[Lotus Notes]

It reminds me of the 2003 Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island, US, killing 100 people and injuring 230.
Started by Pyrotechnics from a rock band. The speed of it spreading is terrifying.