A huge fire broke out at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve, killing around 40 people and injuring 119 others, most of them teenagers.
As photos and videos of the incident spread online, so too did misleading content and AI-generated images, leading to false and contradictory reports that the fire was caused by an explosion.
Euronews’ fact-checking team, Cube, has identified multiple videos and images that have been circulating online in the aftermath of the tragedy.
The fire broke out in the early hours of January 1, turning New Year’s Eve celebrations into one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies in recent years.
A video shared online and seen by The Cube that matches the interior of the building shows flames spreading to the ceiling of the bar area and one partygoer trying to put out the fire with objects that look like clothing or tissue paper.
Later, footage that appeared to have been taken from outside the venue showed people desperately trying to escape as the inside of the bar was engulfed in flames.
Swiss authorities denied the fire was an attack and confirmed it was accidental.
Valais Attorney General Béatrice Pilou announced on Friday that a preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by a sparkler attached to a champagne bottle that was placed too close to the ceiling.
Images shared by French news channel BFMTV match the panels, piping and wall decorations in official photos shared of the bar’s basement, showing drinkers holding up champagne bottles containing sparklers and a small fire burning in the ceiling.
A police spokesperson at the scene initially described the fire as an “unexplained explosion,” sparking confusion online shortly after the incident. This led to multiple social media accounts relaying the false theory that the fire was caused by an explosion.
By the morning of January 1, Swiss authorities had ruled out that the fire was the result of an attack, and on January 2 it was announced that a sparkler was likely the trigger.
misleading visuals
Accounts claiming the fire was caused by an explosion mixed real images showing the aftermath of the fire with false and misleading images.
One of the accounts claiming an “explosion” hit Le Constellation shared unverified photos of the building’s exterior, as well as undated images of New Year’s Eve fireworks over Sydney Harbour.
Authorities explained Thursday that what some witnesses described as an “explosion” was likely caused after the initial fire caused a so-called flashover, in which everything in the room ignited almost simultaneously within a very short period of time.
One image that was widely circulated on X and Instagram purported to show emergency workers after a fire.
However, this photo is not from the Swiss tragedy. This video shows emergency responders at the scene of a gas explosion in Poland in 2019.
Several news sites falsely shared this image, claiming it depicts the aftermath of Crans-Montana.
Another widely shared video on X claims to show the inside of a bar, with waiters in white and red uniforms twirling handkerchiefs as the fire spreads.
This video is not from the Crans-Montana fire, but can be traced back to a fire that broke out at a restaurant in Bali during a fire show in late December, but no deaths were reported.
Elsewhere, social media users shared photos purportedly of the aftermath of the tragedy that appeared to be AI-generated.
One image widely shared on X purports to show emergency workers working outside a burnt-out building with a sign reading “Le Constellation”.
Comparing this photo to the actual appearance of the venue, it is clear that this photo is fake.
On January 3, Swiss public prosecutors announced the opening of a criminal investigation against the bar’s owners on suspicion of manslaughter, manslaughter and arson.