Fire at the memorial to the victims of the Crans-Montana tragedy, Sunday, February 8, 2026. Credit: Handout / AFP / Profimedia
A memorial to the victims of the deadly New Year's Eve fire in the Le Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana caught fire on Sunday. The flames were likely caused by candles left burning, police said, according to The Guardian.
The fire in the bar, where there were mainly young people, killed 41 people and injured 115 others. A memorial was improvised near the scene of the tragedy, loaded with flowers, candles and messages of condolences.
It caught fire on Sunday morning, according to regional police in the Valais canton in southwestern Switzerland.
Images from the scene show a white tarp, blackened on top, that has been raised over the memorial in the shape of an igloo to protect it from bad weather.
“Thanks to the quick intervention of the emergency services, the fire was quickly extinguished,” police said.
No one was injured in the fire at the memorial, but “several commemorative objects were damaged by the flames”, the police said.
According to the statement, a large commemorative book was saved, filled with messages of condolence from those who visited the memorial over the past five weeks.
An investigation has been opened
Police said an investigation had been launched into the cause of the fire at the memorial, which was originally located in front of the Le Constellation bar but was recently moved a little further away.
“According to initial reports, the fire broke out near candles placed on a table in the center of the memorial,” the statement said. “At this point, the involvement of a third party can be ruled out.”
Investigators believe the bar fire on New Year's Eve started when champagne bottles with fireworks were raised too close to the ceiling, igniting the soundproofing foam.
The French couple who own the bar, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, face charges of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.
