A courageous student has described scenes of horror "like a war zone" as he repeatedly ran back into a burning Swiss bar in a desperate bid to save lives on New Year's Eve.
A Night of Celebration Turns to Terror
Ferdinand Du Beaudiez, 19, was celebrating inside the Le Constellation bar in Switzerland with six friends and family, including his brother and girlfriend, when the fire erupted around 1:30am on 31 December. The Munich University finance and economics student gave a powerful account of the disaster, returning to the scene for the first time to recount his experience.
He described the fire's origin, witnessing a waitress carrying champagne bottles near the roof. "I saw the roof take fire and I went under the bar," Ferdinand explained. "I found some water in the mini fridge... but the fire already spread on the whole roof. I threw some water, but it didn't help anything."
Desperate Escapes and Repeated Rescues
After his initial attempt to douse the flames failed, Ferdinand grabbed his girlfriend and shouted for others to flee. In the chaotic stairwell, he lost his grip on her and fell. "My first reflex was to cover my face with my arms and I closed my eyes," he said. He believes someone then opened the front door, causing a deadly change in the fire's behaviour.
"This led to lots of air getting inside... and the fire turned into a fireball," Ferdinand recounted, noting he felt his neck burn as the blaze consumed all breathable air. In a final act of desperation, he used a table leg to pull himself to safety.
Despite his own narrow escape, the young man from Paris heroically went back inside the inferno. "I found someone, I suppose, I hope he was just unconscious," he said, dragging the person to the stairs where emergency services took over. He made further attempts but was driven back by intense smoke. "There was too much smoke and I couldn't breathe," he stated.
Aftermath and Ongoing Anguish
Outside, Ferdinand found his girlfriend in shock and a friend severely burned. The scene was one of utter devastation. "It was terrifying. It felt like a war scene. I saw people, burned people on the ground," he told reporters. He helped usher survivors to a nearby café as emergency services began triaging victims by the severity of their burns.
Ferdinand and other less-injured survivors were taken to a sports centre near Arnouva, which was transformed into a makeshift field hospital. He and a 17-year-old friend assisted by giving water and sugar to other victims to keep them conscious until proper medical teams arrived.
The human cost of the fire remains severe. Ferdinand's brother was among the most critically injured and remains in a coma in hospital. "I'm praying for my brother," Ferdinand said. His other friends are now conscious but in significant pain, though they are not in immediate life-threatening danger.
His testimony provides a harrowing, first-hand insight into the chaos and bravery displayed during the tragedy, highlighting both the swift danger of the fire and the selfless actions of those caught up in it.
