1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
CatastropheSwitzerland

After Crans-Montana fire: The hard road back to life

Stefanie Dodt
March 1, 2026

Two brothers were among those celebrating New Year's Eve when a fire swept through a bar in Crans-Montana. One escaped nearly unscathed, the other spent more than three weeks in a medically-induced coma.

https://p.dw.com/p/59A9r

A fire at a bar in Crans-Montana in the heart of the Swiss  Alps shattered a family’s New Year celebration. Ferdinand, 19, escaped unharmed and rescued others, while his younger brother Valentin suffered severe burns and spent weeks in a coma. Now recovering in a French clinic, he’s taking his first steps as his mother Julia fights for optimism amid an uncertain future.