Swiss Prosecutors Open Criminal Probe After Deadly Ski-Bar Blaze

Flames in the Snow: How One Night at a Ski Resort Turned Fatal

By Marcus Thorne

ZERMATT, Switzerland—When the first flicker of orange shot through the timbered ceiling of the Polar Bear Bar shortly after 11 p.m. last Saturday, most patrons assumed it was part of the weekly fire-dance show. Within minutes, however, acrid smoke filled the vaulted lounge, panic replaced après-ski cheer, and a carefree Alpine evening became a national tragedy.

“People were shouting in four languages at once—‘Feuer! Feu! Fuoco! Fire!’—but the exits were already jammed,” recalls Swedish tourist Lina Holmgren, 27, who escaped through a kitchen hatch. “I saw two staff members trying to push back the flames with bar towels. It was hopeless.”

By dawn, forensic teams had counted seven bodies on the scorched flagstones; another four injured remain in induced comas at Valais cantonal hospital. On Tuesday morning, regional prosecutors announced what many here feared: a criminal investigation targeting the bar’s management for suspected negligent homicide and multiple counts of bodily harm.

What Went Wrong? A Timeline

• 22:52—Surveillance footage shows a decorative ethanol lamp toppling onto a wool rug near the main hearth.
• 22:54—Staff attempt to smother flames with tablecloths; overhead sprinklers fail to activate.
• 22:57—First emergency call placed by a bartender; fire brigade is 1.2 km away but delayed by pedestrian-only streets clogged with sleds and taxis.
• 23:06—Roof beams, impregnated with decades of grease from cheese fondues, ignite. Flashover follows within 90 seconds.
• 23:19—Firefighters arrive; bar already a furnace. Temperatures inside exceed 800 °C.

The Legal Turning Point

Prosecutor Isabelle Rousseau told reporters that indictments could land as early as next month. “We are examining whether safety protocols were systematically ignored to cut costs during peak ski season,” she said, confirming that police seized maintenance logs, staff rosters, and security video.

Swiss law carries a maximum five-year prison term for negligent homicide; each count is tried separately, meaning cumulative sentences are possible. Investigators are also probing why the bar’s fire-inspection certificate—required every two years under cantonal rules—had lapsed in October.

Community Reels

Zermatt’s mayor, Romy Biner-Hauser, ordered all 38 mountain huts and pop-up igloo bars to suspend operations pending fresh safety audits. “Tourism is our lifeblood, but lives come first,” she said, voice cracking during an outdoor vigil attended by 2,000 residents and visitors holding electric candles against the alpine darkness.

Local ski instructor Marco Dufour, 45, summed up the communal grief: “We pride ourselves on pristine slopes and perfect service. Now we’re the place where people died celebrating after skiing. It’s a stain.”

Global Spotlight on Mountain Safety

The tragedy has ignited debate across Europe’s ski circuit. France announced random fire-code inspections in Val d’Isère and Chamonix; Austria’s chamber of commerce is considering mandatory sprinkler systems for all venues above 150 m². Meanwhile, travel-insurance claims related to the incident have already surpassed CHF 3 million, according to Zurich-based brokerage Beagle AG.

Back on Zermatt’s main thoroughfare, the blackened shell of the Polar Bear Bar is now fenced off, its once-iconic neon bear silhouette melted into twisted glass. Bouquets pile higher each day—tributes not just to the dead, but to a shattered assumption that in Switzerland, order and safety were guaranteed.

As prosecutors prepare their case, the Alps themselves seem to mourn: fresh snowfall covers the village in silence, muffling the usual laughter that echoes down these slopes.