Father’s Split-Second Decision Saves Ten Lives In Swiss Fire After Call From Teenage Daughter
As crowds across Switzerland welcomed the New Year with champagne, fireworks, and packed venues, the ski resort town of Crans-Montana was filled with the familiar buzz of celebration that comes with one of the busiest nights of the year. Inside Le Constellation, music played loudly as revelers gathered shoulder to shoulder, raising bottles and counting down to midnight. It was meant to be a carefree start to the year, a night defined by laughter and excitement in one of Switzerland’s most glamorous alpine destinations. Instead, it would become a scene of devastation that left families grieving and an entire community searching for answers.
What unfolded over the next few minutes would expose how fragile celebration can be when safety is compromised. Thick smoke, darkness, and panic quickly replaced music and laughter as a fire tore through the venue. For many inside, escape routes disappeared almost instantly. Amid the confusion, one father’s response to a phone call from his teenage daughter would place him at the center of the rescue effort. Acting on instinct alone, he ran toward the burning bar while others fled, ultimately pulling ten young people to safety and changing the course of their lives forever.
A New Year’s Eve celebration that turned fatal
Le Constellation was packed in the early hours of New Year’s Day, filled with both locals and tourists celebrating in the heart of Crans-Montana. According to investigators, the fire was caused by sparklers placed inside champagne bottles, a festive display that had become part of the night’s atmosphere. As guests lifted bottles into the air, the sparklers burned dangerously close to the ceiling, where flammable materials were present.
Footage later shared online showed sparks flaring just moments before flames spread across the ceiling, moving faster than anyone could react. Within seconds, the fire intensified, producing thick black smoke that filled the bar and rapidly consumed the available oxygen. Visibility dropped almost immediately, leaving many disoriented and unable to locate exits in the crowded space.
Authorities later confirmed that 40 people lost their lives in the fire, while more than 100 others were injured, many with severe burns or smoke inhalation. Survivors described collapsing near exits, tripping over others who had already fallen, and struggling to breathe as the air inside the bar became deadly within minutes.
A delay that saved a life
Seventeen year old Paolina Campolo had planned to meet her boyfriend at Le Constellation to celebrate the New Year, but she stopped at her father’s home first, delaying her arrival by a short amount of time. At the time, it seemed like an ordinary family moment, nothing more than a brief pause before continuing the night. In hindsight, that delay would prove to be the difference between life and death.
Her father, Paolo Campolo, later reflected on that moment in an interview with Il Messaggero, saying, “It was our fault she was late: She should have been at that club already at midnight. Today I can say it without exaggeration, that delay saved her life.” The realization that something so small could have such enormous consequences has stayed with him ever since.
When Paolina arrived near the bar and saw the chaos unfolding, she realized immediately that something was terribly wrong. Smoke, injured people, and emergency confusion surrounded the venue. She picked up her phone and called her father, a decision that would trigger a chain of events that saved multiple lives.
Running toward the fire
Paolo Campolo had been celebrating New Year’s Eve at home with his partner and friends when he noticed an unusual glow outside his window. Almost at the same moment, his phone rang, and his daughter’s voice confirmed his worst fears. She told him, “Dad, there’s been a massacre, there’s a fire, and there are many injured.” Those words left no room for hesitation.
Without stopping to think about his own safety, Paolo grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran toward Le Constellation, which was less than 200 feet from his home. By the time he reached the bar, the flames had begun to subside, but the danger was far from over. Thick smoke still surrounded the building, and the interior was almost completely devoid of oxygen.
Speaking later from his hospital bed, Paolo explained why the situation was so deadly despite the fire burning for only a short time. “The combustion was very rapid, violent, and lasted only a few minutes. Then it stopped. But there was no more oxygen inside. And that’s what caused the carnage.” Realizing that the fire extinguisher would not help, he focused instead on finding a way to get people out.
Breaking in to save ten people
As Paolo searched the exterior of the bar, he came across a door that appeared to be blocked from the inside. Pressed against the glass, he could see movement and shapes on the floor. “I don’t know if it was the emergency or service exit. It opened outward, but it was blocked or locked on the inside. But behind it, through the glass, I could see feet and hands. Bodies on the ground,” he recalled.
Another man arrived and tried to help him force the door open, but it would not budge. With no tools available and no time to wait for firefighters, the two men turned to a nearby window. Using all their strength, they kicked and pulled until the glass finally gave way, creating an opening large enough to begin pulling people out.
Paolo later described the rescue as chaotic and overwhelming. “I forced my way in, and that’s how I managed to save ten young people. There were many Italians there. Through the glass, I could see feet and hands. Bodies on the ground.” He added, “Several bodies fell on top of us. They were young people, alive but burned. Some were conscious, others weren’t. They were asking for help in various languages, including Italian.”
A family narrowly spared
While Paolina survived, her boyfriend had been waiting near the entrance of the bar and escaped only seconds before the conditions inside became unsurvivable. Paolo described what happened next, saying, “He was behind the door. He managed to get out right in front of her eyes. He saved himself by a matter of seconds, but now he is hospitalized in very serious condition in Basel with severe burns.”
The emotional impact of witnessing such devastation while nearly losing loved ones has been overwhelming for the family. The knowledge that timing alone determined who lived and who did not has been difficult to process.
Reflecting on his daughter’s survival, Paolo said, “She was saved by an incredible chain of events. A moment earlier or later, and it would have been a different story.” Those words now serve as a painful reminder of how narrowly tragedy was avoided.
A reminder of instinct and responsibility
Despite being widely praised as a hero, Paolo Campolo has consistently downplayed his actions. Throughout the rescue, one thought pushed him forward again and again. “They could be my children,” he said, explaining what motivated him to keep going even as conditions grew more dangerous.
His actions have drawn attention to the reality that ordinary people are often the first to respond in moments of crisis, long before emergency services can fully intervene. While training and safety measures are essential, Paolo’s experience shows how instinct, composure, and determination can save lives when seconds matter most.
As investigations continue and families mourn the 40 people who lost their lives, Paolo Campolo’s actions stand as a powerful reminder of how quickly celebration can turn into catastrophe, and how one person’s decision to act can mean the difference between survival and unimaginable loss.