• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Blaze in Swiss resort bar kills around 40 people, police say

AmyStrange said:
I know you wouldn't say, "Thoughts and prayers," but do you at least say, "I'm sorry for your loss," or, "My condolences," or do you just say nothing?
Click to expand...
I prefer to say nothing. I feel very uncomfortable saying anything at times like that. I'm certainly not sorry. I'd rather just fade into the background and come back later.
 
arthwollipot said:
I prefer to say nothing. I feel very uncomfortable saying anything at times like that. I'm certainly not sorry. I'd rather just fade into the background and come back later.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know what you mean. I think it's really just something everyone says out of politeness than for any other reason, because really, what else can you say?

As a matter of fact, when someone says they're sorry for doing something like walk in front of me by accident. I almost always say, "You're not really sorry are you?" and this usually gets a little chuckle from them.
 
Last edited:
Beatrice Pilloud, the Swiss regional Attorney General says:
"We currently assume that the fire was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling," she said at a news conference. ABC News article link
Click to expand...

The death toll stands at 40, with another 119 people injured. (By the way it's called empathy--the ability to understand and share another's feelings, thoughts, or experiences by putting yourself in their shoes.)

1767372661868.png
 
What I find horrible is that there are a reported 20 ish people who came out alive with 60% of their skin burned.
Even if they live they will be in pain and disfigured for the rest of their lives. Fire truly is terrifying, especially the speed at which it can spread.
 
It's ridiculous that in this day and age public facilities like this still use flammable construction materials. And are not fitted with sprinkler systems. There has to be code violations here that were overlooked by building inspectors. If not then Swiss building codes are seriously deficient.
 
Last edited:
newyorkguy said:
The death toll stands at 40, with another 119 people injured. (By the way it's called empathy--the ability to understand and share another's feelings, thoughts, or experiences by putting yourself in their shoes.)
Click to expand...

Yup, I agree. Having been in a house fire myself and losing a good friend because of it, I can sadly relate more than most.
 
I wouldn't say the country is exactly traumatised, but the hockey season resumed this afternoon and in our sold-out rink people were actively checking out where the emergency exits were.

(I'm happy to say that they could effectively open three sides of the building in seconds if need be.)
 
The BBC has video of some teenagers trying to swat the fire while others film it on their phones apparently still dancing.

It looks stupid and aggravating but I can kinda understand it. Normalcy bias again. People almost never get to see a fire spreading that isn’t immediately put out so they don’t realise how fast a big fire spreads. Especially kids like that.

I was once in a nightclub that had a fire break out. I discovered it, in fact. I don’t remember freaking out like I should have. It took a few seconds to believe it was real, and not supposed to be there and not going to put itself out. It’s amazing how stupid you can be in an unfamiliar and life-threatening situation.
 
When I started studying chemistry, we had a mandatory day with the fire department.
Two things I've never forgotten. We had to wear the full on gear and move trough a burning house. During that they demonstrated what happens if you open a door into a burning room. I'll never forget that wall of fire hitting me.

And they made us watch a movie from an English football match in the 70's or so. Some minor league club. Fans had set fire to the edge of the stands and the people next to it were moving off, but the rest stayed in the stands watching the match, even though they were asked to leave.
The roof of the stand filled with smoke and a camera was filming it as it was more interesting than the match.
After 1 or 2 minutes the smoke in the roof caught fire and, which ignited the clothing and hair of everyone still sitting in the stand.
It's the most horrifying thing I've ever seen.
Both experiences have made me never underestimate fire ever again.

But as Shrinker said, most people have never seen things like that. So they severely underestimate the danger.
And building codes are the Government putting unreasonable costs on the small business owner to deal with situations that barely ever happen. After all, it's gone well so far hasn't it?
The combination of those attitudes leads to tragedies like this, or the one in Hong Kong or the London Flat fires, or....
 
Lukraak_Sisser said:
When I started studying chemistry, we had a mandatory day with the fire department.
Two things I've never forgotten. We had to wear the full on gear and move trough a burning house. During that they demonstrated what happens if you open a door into a burning room. I'll never forget that wall of fire hitting me.

And they made us watch a movie from an English football match in the 70's or so. Some minor league club. Fans had set fire to the edge of the stands and the people next to it were moving off, but the rest stayed in the stands watching the match, even though they were asked to leave.
The roof of the stand filled with smoke and a camera was filming it as it was more interesting than the match.
After 1 or 2 minutes the smoke in the roof caught fire and, which ignited the clothing and hair of everyone still sitting in the stand.
It's the most horrifying thing I've ever seen.
Both experiences have made me never underestimate fire ever again.

But as Shrinker said, most people have never seen things like that. So they severely underestimate the danger.
And building codes are the Government putting unreasonable costs on the small business owner to deal with situations that barely ever happen. After all, it's gone well so far hasn't it?
The combination of those attitudes leads to tragedies like this, or the one in Hong Kong or the London Flat fires, or....
Click to expand...
As you say, most people have no idea how quickly a fire can propagate, particularly in an enclosed space. In addition to businesses, small and otherwise, there are jurisdictions that mandate sprinklers in all new residences, including single family, and even if renovations reach a certain percentage of the value of the building.

A report issued in August 2025 by the NFPA provides the following:

When sprinklers were present, the civilian fire death and injury rates per fire were 90 percent and 32 percent lower, respectively, compared to reported fires in properties with no automatic extinguishing systems (AES) such as sprinklers or range hood extinguishing systems. The rate of firefighter injuries per fire was also 35 percent lower.
 
Steve said:
As you say, most people have no idea how quickly a fire can propagate, particularly in an enclosed space. In addition to businesses, small and otherwise, there are jurisdictions that mandate sprinklers in all new residences, including single family, and even if renovations reach a certain percentage of the value of the building.

A report issued in August 2025 by the NFPA provides the following:

When sprinklers were present, the civilian fire death and injury rates per fire were 90 percent and 32 percent lower, respectively, compared to reported fires in properties with no automatic extinguishing systems (AES) such as sprinklers or range hood extinguishing systems. The rate of firefighter injuries per fire was also 35 percent lower.
Click to expand...

I agree, but fortunately (or unfortunately as the case may be) I knew how fast fire can spread, because when I was a young kid, a friend and I went camping in a state forest near our houses, and like a stupid idiot, I set a small patch of grass on fire to watch it burn. A wind came up, and the result was that it whipped it up so fast that a significant part of that forest was engulfed in flames before we could even get help.

The only reason I didn't get into trouble was because another friend of mine had come over to watch the firefighters battle the flames, and since his father was the fire marshal and saw his son there, he thought he had started the fire and suppressed that information.

Thank God, no one was hurt in that fire.

As a matter of fact, a few days before the fire that burned down the rooming house that I lived in, I saw a news report on TV about a fire that had burned down another house, and I had a strong premonition that this was going to happen where I lived. I know that many people here don't believe in premonitions, but I do. Don't even bother arguing with me about that, because I don't care what anyone thinks, and also because I've never had another one like this, and I've seen many, many news reports about fires burning down houses in my lifetime.

Anyway, the same friend I went camping with in my teens moved into the room next to mine, and when the fire started (a little after midnight or before. I'm not really sure), he didn't even bother putting on his clothes and ran around the house banging on people's doors, yelling fire, and he probably saved some lives because of that.

After he banged on my door, I grabbed my clothes and ran out of the house to put them on, and unfortunately, I'd left my keys, my watch, and all my money behind, but I was able to see through a window in the front door that the fire was roaring away on the second floor where I lived and this was only seconds after I'd gotten out.

As a result, I couldn't get back in to try and help the others who lived there too. I did go around to the back and that's where I found my friend naked and shivering in the cold because it was Christmas Eve in Connecticut (of course, if someone wanted to be technical, they could probably say it was Christmas).

I gave him my coat, and we went around the house to see if we could help anyone out. We actually helped another friend who lived in the room next to mine jump out of his window to the ground.

On the way, we could hear windows breaking as people tried to get out of the house that way.

The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature, and I could believe that because I had heard rumours about strange occurrences that happened in that very room, like alarm clocks shorting out and melting.

It was a really old house, so the new fire laws didn't apply.

My good friend who had died was found on the floor in the act of putting his shoes on.

The other person who died was visiting her daughter, and I surmise that she got lost trying to find her way out of the house.

It was a horribly sad experience that I will never ever forget for as long as I live.
 
Last edited:
AmyStrange said:
I agree, but fortunately (or unfortunately as the case may be) I knew how fast fire can spread, because when I was a young kid, a friend and I went camping in a state forest near our houses, and like a stupid idiot, I set a small patch of grass on fire to watch it burn. A wind came up, and the result was that it whipped it up so fast that a significant part of that forest was engulfed in flames before we could even get help.

The only reason I didn't get into trouble was because another friend of mine had come over to watch the firefighters battle the flames, and since his father was the fire marshal and saw his son there, he thought he had started the fire and suppressed that information.

Thank God, no one was hurt in that fire.

As a matter of fact, a few days before the fire that burned down the rooming house that I lived in, I saw a news report on TV about a fire that had burned down another house, and I had a strong premonition that this was going to happen where I lived. I know that many people here don't believe in premonitions, but I do. Don't even bother arguing with me about that, because I don't care what anyone thinks, and also because I've never had another one like this, and I've seen many, many news reports about fires burning down houses in my lifetime.

Anyway, the same friend I went camping with in my teens moved into the room next to mine, and when the fire started (a little after midnight or before. I'm not really sure), he didn't even bother putting on his clothes and ran around the house banging on people's doors, yelling fire, and he probably saved some lives because of that.

After he banged on my door, I grabbed my clothes and ran out of the house to put them on, and unfortunately, I'd left my keys, my watch, and all my money behind, but I was able to see through a window in the front door that the fire was roaring away on the second floor where I lived and this was only seconds after I'd gotten out.

As a result, I couldn't get back in to try and help the others who lived there too. I did go around to the back and that's where I found my friend naked and shivering in the cold because it was Christmas Eve in Connecticut (of course, if someone wanted to be technical, they could probably say it was Christmas).

I gave him my coat, and we went around the house to see if we could help anyone out. We actually helped another friend who lived in the room next to mine jump out of his window to the ground.

On the way, we could hear windows breaking as people tried to get out of the house that way.

The cause of the fire was determined to be electrical in nature, and I could believe that because I had heard rumours about strange occurrences that happened in that very room, like alarm clocks shorting out and melting.

It was a really old house, so the new fire laws didn't apply.

My good friend who had died was found on the floor in the act of putting his shoes on.

The other person who died was visiting her daughter, and I surmised that she got lost trying to find her way out of the house.

It was a horribly sad experience that I will never ever forget for as long as I live.
Click to expand...

One thing that did piss me off about the whole thing was after we'd moved in with a mutual friend (to get our heads straight), someone else who also lived there kept giving my friend crap, saying he was the reason those two people died, and he was a murderer.

I got so mad, I grabbed him, threw him against the wall, and called him a freakin' liar and to either STFU or I'd kick his butt---of course I used stronger language than that---but he never said another word after that, at least not while I was around anyway.

What a jackass!!!


Sorry for the rant and for maybe sidetracking this thread.
 
Last edited:
Can't imagine the guilt the people who were holding the champagne bottles must be feeling, if they're still alive, that is. Though apparently they've been doing this since 2014, according to an old promo video, so... I don't know, maybe the chances of fire were pretty low and they just got extremely unlucky? Horrible tragedy either way, of course. The owners are cited as having had the premises inspected numerous times over the years without the inspectors finding anything amiss, but as far as I could tell the venue didn't even have sprinkler systems, so.
 
Lukraak_Sisser said:
When I started studying chemistry, we had a mandatory day with the fire department.
Two things I've never forgotten. We had to wear the full on gear and move trough a burning house. During that they demonstrated what happens if you open a door into a burning room. I'll never forget that wall of fire hitting me.

And they made us watch a movie from an English football match in the 70's or so. Some minor league club. Fans had set fire to the edge of the stands and the people next to it were moving off, but the rest stayed in the stands watching the match, even though they were asked to leave.
The roof of the stand filled with smoke and a camera was filming it as it was more interesting than the match.
After 1 or 2 minutes the smoke in the roof caught fire and, which ignited the clothing and hair of everyone still sitting in the stand.
It's the most horrifying thing I've ever seen.
Both experiences have made me never underestimate fire ever again.

But as Shrinker said, most people have never seen things like that. So they severely underestimate the danger.
And building codes are the Government putting unreasonable costs on the small business owner to deal with situations that barely ever happen. After all, it's gone well so far hasn't it?
The combination of those attitudes leads to tragedies like this, or the one in Hong Kong or the London Flat fires, or....
Click to expand...
Sounds like the Bradford City fire. I saw that unfold live on TV. Though thankfully, I don't remember the close-up details you're describing. Horrible nevertheless though, and a strangely half-forgotten event compared to the Hillsborough disaster. I do remember thinking it was very strange people couldn't get to safety in time, but as you say there's people there not recognising the imminent danger.

1767391342219.png
 
Last edited:
Shrinker said:
Sounds like the Bradford City fire. I saw that unfold live on TV. Though thankfully, I don't remember the close-up details you're describing. Horrible nevertheless though, and a strangely half-forgotten event compared to the Hillsborough disaster. I do remember thinking it was very strange people couldn't get to safety in time, but as you say there's people they're not recognising the imminent danger.

View attachment 67651
Click to expand...

I think most of the people who died at Bradford attempted to escape via the exits at the back of the stand rather than by running onto the pitch, only to find the gates locked (one or two were open and at least one was forced).
 
Last edited:
Lukraak_Sisser said:
What I find horrible is that there are a reported 20 ish people who came out alive with 60% of their skin burned.
Even if they live they will be in pain and disfigured for the rest of their lives. Fire truly is terrifying, especially the speed at which it can spread.
Click to expand...
Also a major incident for the health services, no single burns unit could mange these numbers of severe burns, they will have to have been transported widely, probably internationally.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom