Hundreds of people were evacuated after a ‌fire swept through one of the most luxurious five-star hotels in the ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps. 

The blaze started in the attic of the £11,000-a-night Hotel des ⁠Grandes Alpes at around 7 pm on Tuesday, ​the Prefecture of the Savoie ‍region said on ​its website. 

The fire was still burning on Wednesday morning, with local authorities describing it as a ‘complex operation.’ 

Officials said almost 100 people were evacuated, but local media later reported the number had ‍risen ‍to 270 after the fire spread to a nearby building. 

The number of evacuees also included guests at the five-star Lana Hotel next door, who were moved out of the luxury accommodation as a precaution. 

The local government said in a statement that the ‘evacuation proceeded calmly’ and reported no injuries.  

Staff and guests are understood to have taken refuge in other hotels and in a municipal hall nearby. 

Dramatic footage showed firefighters tackling the inferno, with flames tearing through the roof of a wooden chalet as thick plumes of dark smoke billowed out.

Hundreds of people were evacuated after a ‌fire swept through a five-star hotel in the ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps

The fire was still raging this morning in the Alpine ski town

Pictured: The charred roof of the Hotel des ⁠Grandes Alpes after a fire tore through the building overnight 

Bruno Charlot, the sub-prefect of the village of Albertville, said: ‘The Grandes Alpes guests were quickly relocated to other hotels in the resort.

‘The fire spread considerably overnight, despite the firefighters’ efforts. Their work is complicated by the roof’s structure:

‘It’s very difficult to reach the flames that are running under a roof made of slate and sheet metal.

‘It requires removing the stones and sawing through the sheets before anyone can even access the fire. A thick layer of snow on the roof only makes matters worse. It will be hours before the fire is extinguished.’

Some 115 firefighters were still at the scene tackling the flames on Wednesday morning. 

Courchevel 1850 is one of the most upmarket and expensive resorts in the Alps, attracting celebrities including David and Victoria Beckham, singer Robbie Williams, England cricket legend Ian Botham, and the late French actress and model, Brigitte Bardot.

In 2016, Prince William and Kate Middleton used the resort as a holiday destination.

They jetted into Courchevel 1850 on a private plane provided by the Duke of Westminster, according to reports at the time.

It was never revealed where the Royal couple stayed, but the Grandes Alpes would have been an option.

The nine-apartment hotel offers complete privacy, along with butler service, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and a swimming pool and sauna.

Pictured: The exterior of the five-star Hotel des ⁠Grandes Alpes in the upscale ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps

At least 115 firefighters were battling the flames this morning after the fire had spread ‘considerably overnight,’ according to local officials 

Firefighters are seen tackling the blaze, with local officials describing it as a ‘complex operation’

At least 270 people had been evacuated after the fire spread to a nearby building

There were also claims in France that the Prince and Princess of Wales enjoyed a ‘secret getaway’ in Courchevel this January.

Unconfirmed reports placed the couple and their children – Princes George and Charlotte, and Princess Charlotte – in a hotel with Princess Catherine’s sister, Pippa Middleton, and her brother, James Middleton.

The extended family was reportedly spotted enjoying drinks at a restaurant overlooking the snow-covered peaks in Courchevel.

French magazine Point de Vue claimed: ‘They reportedly dined at the Cave des Creux, a former shepherd’s hut transformed into a chic brasserie, perched at an altitude of 2,112 meters.

‘The family is believed to have reached the restaurant by ski, as it’s located on a red run.’

The cause of the blaze remains unknown, but measures are under scrutiny in the region after a fire in a bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ‍on New Year’s Eve ⁠killed 40 people and injured more than 100, many of them teenagers.

Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the owners, Jacques and his wife Jessica Moretti, who are suspected of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing fire by negligence. 

Investigators believe that sparkling candles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling, which was outfitted with soundproofing material. 

Firefighters are pictured outside the Alpine hotel on Wednesday as they continue to tackle a blaze that started on Tuesday night 

Dramatic footage showed firefighters tackling the inferno

A fire engine is pictured outside the hotel that caught on fire last night

Courchevel 1850 is one of the most upmarket and expensive resorts in the Alps

They are looking into whether the material conformed to regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar.

Local authorities have said that fire safety inspections of the bar hadn’t been carried out since 2019.

Investigators have since established that 34 of those who died in the fire perished on the bar’s small stairwell, which had been reduced in width by a third by the venue’s owners during renovation work in 2015. 

Swiss law enforcement officers found numerous bodies at the bottom of the staircase after the wooden steps and handrails collapsed.

They could not withstand the pressure of the fleeing crowd, detached from the wall, and plunged into the basement.

Mr Moretti has admitted to reducing the width of the stairwell from three metres to just one metre.

He carried out the renovations himself when he took over management of the Constellation in 2015, and it is not known whether he had planning permission or not.

According to multiple enquiry sources who have spoken to the media in France and Italy, the modification ‘played a decisive role in the disaster’.

The cause of the blaze remains unknown, but measures are under scrutiny in the region after a blaze in a bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ‍on New Year’s Eve ⁠killed 40 people . Picture shows the very first moments of the Swiss Constellation Bar fire in Crans-Montana

The pyrotechnics are thought to have lit soundproofing foam in the ceiling, triggering a massive fire in which 116 others were also severely burned 

Owners of Le Constellation bar Jacques Moretti (L) and Jessica Moretti (C) are currently under investigation and are facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence

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Swiss inferno bar owners places blame on tragic ‘waitress in the helmet’

When questioned by prosecutors on January 9, Mr Moretti did not discuss the stairwell renovation, but he admitted that a ‘ground-floor service door’ was locked from the inside when the fire started.

He said that he forced it open upon arriving at the scene and found victims dying from suffocation behind it.  

Mr Moretti said he did not know why the door was locked, and, along with his wife, has denied any civil or criminal wrongdoing. 

 Mr Moretti was originally in pre-trial detention for at least the next three months, but a court on Friday ordered his release on bail. 

Last week, a Swiss court imposed a travel ban on Ms Moretti as an alternative to pre-trial detention, citing what prosecutors claim is a ‘risk of flight’. 

She was ordered to surrender her passport and must report to the police every day, authorities say.

The Morettis face up to 20 years in prison if charged and found guilty of manslaughter.

It comes after it was revealed that the CCTV from the night of the fire mysteriously ‘crashed’ three minutes before the fire broke out.

According to Bild, detectives only have access to the footage up to 1.23 am – three minutes before the fire began.

A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial outside the ‘Le Constellation’ bar, after a deadly fire and explosion during a New Year’s Eve party, in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 5, 2026

People mourn at a makeshift memorial outside the ‘Le Constellation’ bar, after a deadly fire and explosion during a New Year’s Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 4, 2026

The firefighters of Crans-Montana, the first responders in the fire at the ‘Le Constellation’ bar and lounge, show emotions as they gather around flowers and candles to commemorate the victims, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, January 4, 2026

In his January 1 interrogation, Moretti said of the CCTV: ‘At that point, the system crashed. I can’t reset it.’

He reportedly showed investigators screenshots of the latest recordings, with 11 camera angles pointed at the smoking room, the DJ, the bar, and sofas where people were sitting.

Pictures and videos of the bar on social media also vanished hours after the tragedy, raising suspicions that evidence was being destroyed, Bild reported.