BRUSSELS 

Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene to Anadolu following a deadly New Year's Eve fire at a crowded bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, saying only a few police personnel were present and first responders had not arrived in the critical first minutes.

"There was, I think, only one or two police cars by then, so first responders were not here yet, and by the time everything ended," said Dominic Dubois, who arrived on the scene at around 1.00-1.20 am local time (0000-0020 GMT).

🚨 First responders were late, an eyewitness says after the deadly fire at a Swiss ski resort

🗣️ 'It was really the worst time when we arrived. I think,
only 1 or 2 police cars by then. So, first responders
were not here yet'

📍 Dominic Dubois, who arrived at the scene about… pic.twitter.com/B2N3HrBmn7

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) January 2, 2026

With emergency teams delayed, local residents, restaurants, and other bystanders immediately stepped in to help. "Everyone did what they could, all the nearby residences, restaurants, everyone who was still awake helped, either with water, tea, blankets," he added.

"It was a big shock. ... They come out, suddenly, there are freezing temperatures," he explained, emphasizing that managing the extreme temperature difference was one of the major challenges.

Dubois said the last victim was evacuated at around 5.30 am local time (0430 GMT).

Local resident Eva, who has lived in the area for 30 years, described the tragedy as unprecedented. "It seems like a very huge tragedy ... For my remembrance, I see things like that for the first time," she said.

"It is a tragedy, because the majority, I imagine, of the people touched by this drama, they are the young people who came for the holidays here in the mountains. It is really really sad," she added.

Earlier Thursday, Swiss police said around 40 people were killed and about 115 others injured in the fire, most of them severely, after a blaze broke out at a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations.

Authorities said a criminal investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Several hypotheses are being examined, according to prosecutors, with the currently favored theory being that of a "generalized conflagration that caused a deflagration."

The identification of the victims is continuing and given the international nature of the resort, foreign nationals could be among those killed and injured, officials said.

*Muhammet Ikbal Arslan contributed to the story