Man Saves 10 from Ski Resort Bar Fire After Receiving Frantic Call from His Daughter

A father in Switzerland says a simple New Year’s Eve delay — caused by a family tradition — helped save his teenage daughter’s life and led him to help rescue at least 10 people from a deadly fire at a ski resort bar.

Paolo Campolo, 55, described the events to Italian outlet Il Messaggero, explaining how his 17-year-old daughter, Paolina, narrowly avoided danger after arriving late to the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, where a fatal blaze later erupted.

Speaking from his hospital bed in Sion while being treated for smoke inhalation, the financial analyst said Paolina, who attends high school in Geneva and was home for the holidays, planned to meet her boyfriend at the upscale venue to ring in the new year.

Instead, she stopped by her father’s home first “to say hello, toast together, and open the panettone,” the traditional Italian sweet bread.

“That delay saved her life,” Paolo said, noting that she should have already been inside the club at midnight. “Today I can say it without exaggeration.”

Paolina never made it into the bar, but her boyfriend did. As he waited for her near the entrance, a fire broke out shortly after 1 a.m. When Paolina called her father in panic around 1:20 a.m., Paolo could already see flames from his nearby home. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran toward the scene.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blaze, but prosecutors said it was likely sparked by sparklers or flares placed in champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling, rapidly triggering a flashover fire, according to CNN.

By the time Paolo arrived, the flames had subsided, but thick black smoke filled the building.

“The combustion was very rapid and violent, lasting only a few minutes,” he recalled. “Then it stopped — but there was no more oxygen inside. That’s what caused the tragedy.”

Outside, he saw Paolina standing motionless in shock as she waited for her boyfriend. Moments later, he emerged from the entrance, escaping by seconds. He is now hospitalized in Basel with severe burns.

“She was saved by an incredible chain of events,” Paolo said. “A moment earlier or later, and it would have been a different story.”

Although the fire extinguisher proved ineffective, Paolo stayed calm until emergency responders arrived. While searching for an exit, he discovered one that was blocked from the inside.

“I forced my way in, and that’s how I managed to save ten young people,” he said, describing scenes of chaos visible through shattered glass — bodies on the ground, hands and feet reaching out for help.

With assistance from a stranger, he managed to pry open a window, allowing people to escape.

“Several bodies fell on top of us,” he said. “They were young people — alive but burned. Some were conscious, others not. They were asking for help in different languages, including Italian.”

Many of the injured were minors, he added, describing young women in party clothes suffering burns.

Some of those he pulled out were screaming, intoxicated, and badly injured. What kept him going, Paolo said, was a simple thought: “They could be my children.”

He also praised the local community for responding quickly. Nearby businesses transformed into makeshift medical centers, offering shelter and aid to the injured.

“The local solidarity was extraordinary,” he said. “One bar next door welcomed the injured into their kitchen, helped them breathe, and kept them from fainting. In the middle of horror, that humanity is something I’ll never forget.”

About 40 people were killed in the fire at Le Constellation bar, and more than 119 others were injured. Victims included 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French, and 11 Italians, according to the BBC.