More than 40 people have died, and over 100 were injured during the horrifying fire on New Year’s Eve in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. But without a heroic father, there could’ve been even more casualties. Paolo Campolo is now praised for his incredible actions, saving nearly a dozen teens from the inferno.
Paolo Campolo was hosting a New Year’s Eve party with his fiancée in his Crans-Montana home when everything changed in a second. What was supposed to be an evening of celebrations instead turned into a living hell.
Campolo received a call from his 17-year-old daughter, and as he looked outside his window, he noticed something glowing. It came from the bar Le Constellation, which was in flames just 200 feet from his home.
“I was at home celebrating with my partner and friends,” Campolo told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero. “It was around 1:20 a.m. when I saw blazing flames coming from the windows. Then my daughter Paolina called and it shocked me: ‘Dad, there’s been a massacre, there’s a fire, and there are many injured.’”
Paolo Campolo saved ten lives in Swiss fire
Paolo Campolo had no time to think. He recalled rushing into the street with a fire extinguisher. By the time he arrived at the bar, the flames began to decrease in size. However, “thick black smoke” covered the area.
“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. I immediately realized the fire extinguisher wasn’t needed. I tried not to lose my temper. Help hadn’t arrived yet. I looked for an alternative way out,” Paolo said.
The father realized that there still could be people trapped inside. He, together with another hero, found a back entry to the bar. However, it was locked, and several teenagers were trapped inside.
“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,” Campolo described the horrific scene, explaining how the two broke a window to pull those inside out to safety.
Hospitalized after rescue mission
“We put our foot against the adjacent window and pulled with all our might. The firefighters were getting organized, but there was no time to waste,” he continued.
“At least an axe would have been needed, but we didn’t have anything at the time. I don’t even know how we did it, but with all the strength we had, we managed it.”
Paolo’s daughter miraculously survived. The father was hospitalized with poisoning, but managed to save 10 people.
Sadly, his fiancée was severely injured in the aftermath and is fighting for his life at Basel, according to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
