Eliot, one of the survivors of the devastating New Year’s Eve fire in Crans-Montana, has shared a detailed and harrowing account of the moments that nearly claimed his life. His words, simple yet overwhelming — “I was stuck, I couldn’t breathe, and I thought I was going to die. There was only one door to get out” — paint a stark picture of the panic inside the packed venue that turned a night of celebration into one of tragedy. His testimony adds to a growing body of firsthand accounts that reveal how rapidly conditions deteriorated inside the building and how a lack of escape routes contributed to the death toll.

When Eliot arrived at the venue on the evening of December 31, the atmosphere was festive, energetic, and crowded. Music filled the air, the lights were bright, and guests were celebrating the arrival of the new year with drinks, laughter, and anticipation. For Eliot, the night began like any other New Year’s Eve gathering — surrounded by friends, immersed in the rhythm of the party, and unaware of the catastrophe that would unfold in a matter of minutes. The venue, however, was packed tightly, with little room to move between tables and groups of people. Eliot remembers noticing the crowd density but, like many others, thought it was just part of the celebration.

According to Eliot, the first sign of trouble was not flames but discomfort — a sudden wave of heat and a faint smell that he initially struggled to interpret. He said that at first, people around him did not react, continuing to dance and talk. But within seconds, the atmosphere shifted. Someone shouted “Smoke!” and a ripple of confusion spread through the room. Eliot recalls seeing a cloud beginning to form near one side of the venue, though he could not identify its source in the darkened, crowded space. The lighting, initially festive, began to seem disorienting as smoke thickened and visibility dropped rapidly.

Then came the panic. Eliot describes the moment when the crowd moved as one, surging toward the single exit door. “There was only one door,” he repeated during his testimony, emphasizing the impossibility of evacuating hundreds of people through a single escape route under such conditions. As people pushed and fought to move forward, he felt himself being crushed from all sides. The force of bodies pressing against one another eliminated any sense of direction or control.

In the chaos, Eliot said he struggled to draw breath. Smoke stung his throat and lungs, and every attempt to breathe felt like inhaling fire. He remembers hearing people screaming behind him, some calling for help, others sobbing or shouting names of friends they had been separated from. He also heard the terrifying silence that followed — the moments when the crush of bodies drowned out individual voices. “I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “I thought that was it. I thought I was going to die.”

The lack of additional exits, he insisted, turned the situation deadly. With only one door, the crowd bottlenecked immediately. People tripped, fell, and were trampled as the pressure increased. Eliot recalls losing his footing briefly and feeling the weight of others pushing him downward. The sensation of suffocation, he said, was not only from the smoke but from the impossible closeness of bodies and the panic that spread like a shockwave.

Eliot describes the moment he realized he might not survive. “Everything went dark,” he said, referring both to the thick smoke and to the fading of his own consciousness. His lungs burned, his legs weakened, and the noise around him faded into a distant hum. He believed he would be crushed or suffocated before reaching the exit. What saved him, he said, was a sudden shift in the crowd — a brief opening that allowed him to move a few steps forward. He forced himself through the mass of people, focusing entirely on the faint outline of the door.

When he finally reached the exit, Eliot was barely conscious. He remembers stumbling out into the cold air, collapsing on the ground, and gasping desperately as paramedics rushed toward him. The contrast between the freezing night outside and the inferno behind him felt surreal. “It didn’t feel real,” he said. “One moment we were celebrating, the next moment we were fighting for our lives.”

Eliot suffered smoke inhalation and injuries from being crushed in the crowd. He was treated on-site before being transported to a hospital. Physically, he is expected to recover, but emotionally, he carries scars that may take far longer to heal. His testimony reflects not just his personal experience but the broader trauma shared by the survivors.

His account also provides insight into the conditions inside the venue in the seconds before the fire overcame the space. The density of the crowd, the lack of multiple exits, and the rapid spread of smoke all combined to create a deadly scenario. Survivors like Eliot have stressed the impossibility of evacuating safely under such circumstances. The single exit became a choke point, transforming fear into widespread panic. Those caught farther from the door faced near-impossible odds.

The emotional impact of the event remains raw. Eliot described feelings of guilt, grief, and disbelief. He said he thinks often of those who did not make it out and struggles to process why he survived when so many others did not. His words echo a sentiment shared by many disaster survivors — the struggle to reconcile fate, chance, and the weight of memory.

Eliot also spoke of the kindness of strangers who helped him once outside, offering coats, blankets, and water. He remembers the sight of others lying on the ground, coughing violently, being treated for burns, or crying out for missing friends. Emergency responders worked rapidly, but the scale of the injuries was overwhelming.

His testimony will likely play a role in the ongoing investigation, especially regarding safety measures and structural limitations inside the venue. The issue of there being only one exit has emerged repeatedly in survivor accounts and may be central to understanding why the death toll was so high. Investigators are examining the layout, emergency preparedness, and compliance with safety regulations.

For Eliot, sharing his story is part of coping with what happened. He said he wants people to understand how quickly events unfolded and how helpless those inside felt. “It was seconds,” he said. “Seconds between being fine and being trapped.” His words underline the vulnerability of crowded spaces and the vital importance of proper safety measures.

As he continues to recover, Eliot says he is grateful to be alive but haunted by the memories of that night. His account adds a crucial human voice to the tragedy — a reminder that behind every statistic is a lived experience marked by terror, survival, and the long journey toward healing.