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

[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]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

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.

[JoshSm]

It's always bars and nightclubs and the like that have problems with mass casualty fires - usually combinations of crowds, poor lighting, inadequate/poorly marked/blocked exits, and very poor fire safety.

Alcohol might play a part but the above is usually enough on its own.

Wonder how their last safety inspections went? I assume the Swiss have them? And that they were done properly?