With little at stake, Packers and Vikings take aim at goals

A pair of division rivals have differing agendas as they prepare for their regular-season finale.

The Green Bay Packers want to get healthy heading into the playoffs, where they already have clinched a wild-card berth. This weekend's game will do nothing to change their No. 7 NFC playoff seed.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings want to put a final stamp on this season as they look toward 2026. They see the final game of this season as an opportunity for players to make a case for prominent roles next season.

So, in the big picture, Sunday's game between Green Bay (9-6-1) and Minnesota (8-8) in Minneapolis means little in the standings but could mean a lot for both teams and their futures, be it short term or long term.

"We're still in that wildly significant time where any and all reps and experience (matter)," said Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, whose team is on a four-game winning streak. "It's another home game at U.S. Bank Stadium. All those things are important."

Nothing is more important than health for the Packers.

Green Bay has no shot at the NFC North division title after the Chicago Bears claimed that last week. The Packers know they will open the playoffs on the road next weekend, with the opponent and starting time to be determined.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love participated in practice to start the week but remained in the league's concussion protocol. Backup Malik Willis, who has started with Love out, was limited to start the week with a shoulder injury.

The dual injuries prompted Green Bay to sign quarterback Desmond Ridder to its practice squad on Wednesday. Ridder, 26, has not played this season but has appeared in 25 games with 18 starts across parts of three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur was tight-lipped when asked about his starting quarterback for Sunday.

"Here's what I told the team," LaFleur said. "We have 53 spots on our roster. You can have two call-ups. You have 48 dressed on game day. So there's going to be some starters that aren't going to play. Shoot, they may not suit up, they might suit up. And then you're going to have some starters that are going to play. So, basically, you guys will find out on Sunday who's playing."

There is far less mystery in Minnesota, where J.J. McCarthy is set to make his 10th start in his first season of NFL action. McCarthy missed all of last season because of a knee injury.

The 22-year-old has shown flashes of his ability this season, but he also has struggled with consistency. He has passed for 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his first nine games, and the regular-season finale could help the Vikings determine how much competition they want to bring in to challenge for the starting role in 2026.

McCarthy's top target is Justin Jefferson, who needs 53 receiving yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the sixth straight season. Jefferson also is looking for his first touchdown since Nov. 2.

Packers running back Josh Jacobs is 71 rushing yards shy of a 1,000-yard campaign, but he has dealt with a knee injury in recent weeks and could be a candidate to rest. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. Backup running back Emanuel Wilson has 452 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the season.

--Field Level Media

byAlex Forten

in

January 01, 2026

With little at stake, Packers and Vikings take aim at goals

A pair of division rivals have differing agendas as they prepare for their regular-season finale. The Gr...

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CBS cuts off Gary Danielson during his sign-off message from Sun Bowl, his final college football broadcast

A reflective, grateful and emotional Gary Danielson asked a rhetorical question after sharing hisSun Bowlsign-off message with his expansive CBS team, "How are we going to get off the air?"

The answer to the question came less than 10 seconds later.

As the analyst was searching for the final words of his final college football broadcast to punctuate a 36-year run calling ball, CBS cut him off.

CBS cut off Gary Danielson as he was still delivering his sign-off message into retirement.https://t.co/pMsRFHRQxSpic.twitter.com/7qHTCKhIz1

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing)December 31, 2025

In the corner of the frame, a hand can be seen counting down the final seconds of the farewell to the former Purdue, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns quarterback.

That's when Danielson appeared to call an audible.

"Sometimes you can say, how do you get off?" Danielson said before pointing to his producer and adding, "This guy right here."

Abruptly, CBS went to commercial break, wrapping the broadcast. Hard outs are part of live TV, and Danielson of course knows that, but that ad interruption brought an untimely end to an otherwise beautiful tribute to one of the greatest voices in college football history.

Minutes earlier, Danielson — flanked by play-by-play announcer Brad Nessler and sideline reporter Jenny Dell — heard about and watched back some of the great moments during his illustrious career in the booth.

"To have done it with somebody that is unmatched in what you do has been a privilege," Nessler said. "It's been an honor. I'm going to miss you. Our team's going to miss you. Our crew's going to miss you. CBS is going to miss you.

"And damn it, college football's going to miss you, buddy."

Danielson has been part of CBS' top college football broadcasting pair since 2006 and is a six-time Emmy nominee.

A mainstay in the afternoon slot, he became a staple in SEC coverage and lately had expanded his footprint to the Big Ten with CBS.

"Everybody says, 'What do you want to be remembered as?' That's cool, but it's what I want to remember. And this is the stuff I remember," Danielson said as a slideshow of pictures rolled, documenting his time with his coworkers at CBS.

Those weren't his final words on air. But maybe they should be the ones we remember.

byAlex Forten

in

January 01, 2026

CBS cuts off Gary Danielson during his sign-off message from Sun Bowl, his final college football broadcast

A reflective, grateful and emotional Gary Danielson asked a rhetorical question after sharing hisSun Bowlsign-off message...

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What's next for Michigan football? 'Nobody knows who's going to be here'

ORLANDO, FL – Barring a national championship, every end to aMichigan footballseason is bittersweet, no matter the team.

Sure, a win can blunt the pain of knowing it's the final gathering of any particularWolverinessquad, especially if it also brings a sense of momentum for the following season. Even a loss can bring that, with enough standout returners.

But for this Michigan team those don't quite apply after theWolverinesfell to Texas, 41-27, in the Citrus Bowlon Wednesday, Dec. 31. U-M gave up 17 unanswered points in the final 6:54 to end 2025 with a thud. Perhaps even more unfortunately, that's the least of the tumult this group faced in December.

A saga that beganDec. 10 with thefiring of coach Sherrone Moore, featured jail time for Moore and an arraignment watched across the state, and, eventually, thehiring of longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittinghamon Dec. 26 leave the Wolverines in a bit of no-man's land.

More:Will Sherrone Moore get a second chance like other disgraced coaches?

U-M players know Whittingham is a no-nonsense coach who builds his teams with DNA similar to that which Michigan has often espoused at its best: physicality, with a ground-and-pound philosophy on offense and a disciplined, aggressive defense.

But they don't entirely know how the program will get from here to there under Whittingham. There appears to be brightness ahead, but before then ...

"It was tough in there," linebacker Cole Sullivan said of the locker room following the loss. "We know that there's going to be a lot of changes made, it's not going to be the same group. Any year, a bowl game is always the last time ... but we know it's going to be different next year and it's unfortunate we had to end it this way.

Biff Poggi on Michigan: 'This isn't a rebuild'

The path to a shinier 2026 starts with Michigan keeping its core together.

True freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood struggled at times in Year 1 — including against the Longhorns, when three second-half interceptions turned a back-and-forth duel with Texas' Arch Manning into a referendum on arm strength vs. turnovers. And yet, Underwood's upside is obvious, as evidenced by his well-thrown touchdown to Kendrick Bell in the first quarter, his 33-yard rumble to set up a second touchdown pass in the second and his diving touchdown to give U-M the lead in the fourth.

Should U-M keep Jordan Marshall or Justice Haynes — heck, how about both — at running back with incoming five-star recruit Savion Hiter (expected to arrive from Virginia this weekend), Michigan will be looking at one of the most loaded running back rooms in the country.

Combine that with an offensive line that's young but promising — Blake Frazier, Andrew Sprague and Jake Guarnera all got invaluable experience this year and freshmen Andrew Babalola and Ty Haywood were both among the most highly regarded tackles in the class of 2025 — and interim coach Biff Poggi wasn't stretching when he pushed back Wednesday at the notion of 2026 being a growing season.

"This isn't a rebuild," he said. "I think that would be shortchanging the kids and where they are. I think coach Whittingham is going to do a fantastic job here. He's going to have a lot of really good players back. He's obviously going to bring players in.

"Been a head coach 20 years, won three conference championships. ... I think he's going to find a very full cupboard with a bunch of really willing kids that are just great kids."

So who's coming back for Michigan football?

Select players met with media after the game, including linebacker Jimmy Rolder who is mulling an NFL future.

Bell and running back Bryson Kuzdzal definitively declared they intend to return to Ann Arbor in 2026, while Sullivan said he had to think it over.

It's not that hewantsto leave, but with all of his attention on U-M's final game — despite meeting with Whittingham and liking what he heard — he waits to wait to see what the staff looks like.

"Obviously the scheme is one thing," Rolder said. "Then the mentality of the staff. That's kind of all I can really say right now. I'm really excited to meet everybody that's coming and just see what they have to say — hopefully we blend in a good way."

Others, such as Marshall and Underwood, avoided declaring they'd be back when meeting with media earlier in the week. But there's belief both will be. They're the leaders of the program, on the field and in the locker room.

One to watch is true freshman Andrew Marsh. On Wednesday, he helped keep U-M in the game with a touchdown catch and 163 all-purpose yards, including 143 on kickoffs. Come January, he could demand top dollar in the transfer market, though Michigan is well-positioned to match any offer.

If Michigan's players proved anything in the past three weeks, it's that they're able to block out outside noise.

"Just keep going," Bell said. "Marsh says it all the time, you know he's got it on his (eye black):Keep going.So just keep pushing through. ... It was emotional in [the locker room] today. I think we all got closer, we all got tight.

"We know what's going on, what's going to happen in the building. ... Nobody knows who's going to be here."

College football transfer portal on the clock

Per NCAA rules, Michigan players can enter the portal beginning Thursday — five days after a new coach is hired, and one day before it formally opens for two weeks for players nationwide. Even before the transfer portal opened, there was back-channeling, as noted by Poggi last month — there always is, even as Whittingham decried it this week.

"You don't tamper with anybody, that's not my style," Whittingham said. "If a player we have interest in enters the portal, that's a whole different ballgame ... Now he's in the portal, he's going somewhere — so why not Michigan, if it's a good fit?"

Players will come and go. So will coaches. It's expected U-M will formally announce most of its staff this week — Whittingham said during a mid-game interview with ABC he expects to have made decisions on his coaches by the end of the weekend.

That's another step into the future. Perhaps the best thing for Michigan is to go into an offseason wiping the slate clean.

If 2025's College Football Playoff lineup is an indication, the Wolverines appear to have a a tough schedule in 2026, even without seeing how the CFP and the ensuing transfer portal winds up; there are road games at Ohio State and Oregon, and home games with SEC foe Oklahoma and Indiana. There are also visits due from perennial Big Ten powers Iowa and Penn State.

Then again, Wednesday was too soon for players to even start looking toward that time.

"I don't know," Bell said about what next year will look like. "We'll take it day by day."

Never in college football's history have teams gone from pretenders to contenders — and vice versa — as they do now. Michigan is looking at a major overhaul, and, again, that can be a good thing.

But without the warm feeling generated by a would-be bowl win, that's cold comfort as January arrives for the Wolverines.

Tony Garciais theWolverinesbeat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at@RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How Michigan football may look different under Kyle Whittingham

byAlex Forten

in

January 01, 2026

What's next for Michigan football? 'Nobody knows who's going to be here'

ORLANDO, FL – Barring a national championship, every end to aMichigan footballseason is bittersweet, no matter the team. ...

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At Zohran Mamdani's swearing in, Rama Duwaji remains art-world chic

As New York City's first lady,Rama Duwajichannels art-world chic.

The Syrian-American illustrator held two Qurans asZohran Mamdanitook the oath of office as New York City mayor after midnight on New Year's Day, in a minimalist black coat, a knee-length black dress or skirt and black ankle boots, with a pair of gold, sculptural statement earrings.

Duwaji, 28, has continued to subvert expectations in her clothing choices as the incoming first lady, favoring understated, modern looks with creative-class sensibility. Online, she's seen insimilarly modernist looks, and as the34-year-old democratic socialistmade hisvictory speechin November, Duwaji was by his side wearing a dark denim square-neck top by Palestinian-Jordanian designer Zeid Hijazi and a Ulla Johnson black skirt, also with statement dangling earrings by New York City jewelry designer Eddie Borgo.

Duwaji obtained a master's degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, The Washington Post as well as Apple and Spotify.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Duwaji, 28, was born in Houston to Syrian parents, spending part of her childhood in Dubai.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Get to know Rama Duwaji, Zohran Mamdani's wife and NYC's youngest first lady

Duwaji obtained a master's degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, The Washington Post as well as Apple and Spotify.

Rama Duwaji, illustrating her own life,is more than Zohran Mamdani's wife

At Mamdani's swearing in, he called taking the office "the honor and a privilege of a lifetime" after signing the paperwork and paying a $9 filing fee to make it official.

Mamdani, who was also surrounded by his parents, Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair, was administered the oath by New York Attorney GeneralLetitia Jamesunder the Spanish-tiled arches of alandmarked former subway station below City Hallin Lower Manhattan.

Inauguration live updates:Zohran Mamdani takes office as NYC mayor

Mamdani will also be sworn in outside City Hall bySen. Bernie Sandersafter an introductionby Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Mamdani is the 112th person — but thefirst Muslim and the first person of South Asian descent— to lead the nation's largest city. By taking his oath on the Quran, he is now the first mayor of New York to do so,according to the New York Times.

Contributing: Victoria E. Freile, Eduardo Cuevas, Dan Morrison and Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Zohran Mamdani's wife Rama Duwaji faithful to all-black aesthetic

byAlex Forten

in

January 01, 2026

At Zohran Mamdani's swearing in, Rama Duwaji remains art-world chic

As New York City's first lady,Rama Duwajichannels art-world chic. The Syrian-American illustrator held two Q...

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Will There Be a “Stranger Things” Spinoff?

Courtesy of Netflix

NEED TO KNOW

• Netflix has multiple Stranger Things spinoffs in the works, including some co-creator Matt Duffer referred to as a "clean slate"

• An animated show, first announced in 2023, will feature the original characters and premiere later this year

• The sci-fi show wrapped its fifth and final season on Dec. 31

After nearly a decade,Stranger Thingshas come to an end — but fans may get to revisit the world created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer again soon.

Netflix's nostalgia-filled sci-fi show wrapped its fifth and final season with the release of its series finale on Dec. 31, bringing to an end the characters' long fight against the terrors in the Upside Down. Though the Duffer brothers have assured that all possible loose ends have been tied up, spinoffs are already in the works.

Speaking toVarietyin October ahead of the release of season 5's first wave of episodes in November, the Duffers stressed the importance of giving the story closure.

"We do every last remaining thing we wanted to do with the Demogorgons and Mind Flayer and Vecna and the Upside Down and Hawkins and these characters," Matt said. "This is a complete story. It'sdone."

Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

That being said, fans can still head to Broadway to see the prequel play,Stranger Things: The First Shadow,which first opened in London in December 2023 before making its Broadway bow in April 2025.

And in early November 2025, Netflix unveiled a first look atStranger Things: Tales from '85, an animated series first announced in 2023, which is set in Hawkins in winter 1985. According to the official logline, "the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town."

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

"With animation, there's really no limits," Ross toldTudum.

"And it's nice, because the kids can stay young forever," Matt toldVariety. The show will premiere later this year and feature an entirely new cast voicing the beloved characters.

But the Duffers have confirmed another spinoff in the works as well — only that will feature "a different decade and different characters, but of course, still connected to theStranger Thingsuniverse," Ross toldTHR. "It's an idea we've had for years and something we're just really excited and passionate about."

As Matt toldVariety, "You're starting with new characters. It's like clean slate. You're not tied up into any knots."

"It's really its own entity," he added to ScreenRant.

As Ross noted toVariety, the spinoffs are "going to live in a bit of a different world. There's going to be connective tissue, but you're almost anthologizing in a way. Because we're notStar Wars. We can't be like, 'Oh, now we're on this planet.'"

Courtesy of Netflix

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

While the Duffer brothers are creating the new series and will be, as Ross toldVariety, "heavily creatively involved" and "helping shepherd it along," they won't be its showrunners, as they have a new deal to develop projects for Paramount.

All five seasons ofStranger Thingsare available for streaming on Netflix.Stranger Things: Tales from '85will premiere on Netflix later this year.

Read the original article onPeople

byAlex Forten

in

January 01, 2026

Will There Be a “Stranger Things” Spinoff?

Courtesy of Netflix NEED TO KNOW Netflix has multiple Stranger Things spinoffs in the works, including some co-creator Matt Duffer referr...

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What we know about the 'Stranger Things' spinoff — plus the one cast member who guessed it correctly

For the Duffer brothers,Stranger Thingsmarks the end of an era… sort of. Though the hit Netflix series is coming to an end after nine years and five seasons, fans won't be saying goodbye to theStranger Thingsuniverse for good. In fact, Ross and Matt Duffer have practically said as much: There's aStranger Thingsspinoff in the works.

The Duffers have remained tight-lipped when it comes to sharing details about the spinoff, though they have sharedsomeinsight into what fans may be able to expect — and aStranger Thingsstar has even weighed in on the discourse.

Will the same cast be involved? And what exactly have the Duffer brothers said about it? Yahoo is rounding up everything we know about theStranger Thingsspinoff (so far), below.

Will theStranger Thingscast return for the spinoff?

Unfortunately,Stranger Thingsfans shouldn't expect to see any familiar faces in the spinoff series. Matt Duffertold Screenrantof the forthcoming project: "It relates in some ways, but it really is a completely different story and a completely different location with completely different actors and characters. So it's its own. It's really its own entity."

What else do we know about the spinoff?

While it won't follow the Hawkins gang we've come to know and love, theStranger Thingsspinoff, Matt Duffer previouslytold Variety, will still be part of the show's brand and style of storytelling, and will revolve around "kids, adventures, sci-fi/fantasy, rather than increasingly expand what could become an insanely convoluted mythology."

"You're starting with new characters — it's like clean slate," he told the outlet. "You're not tied up into any knots. There's something refreshing about it."

The Duffers will be involved in "helping shepherd it along," per Variety, but given theirnew Paramount deal, they won't serve as showrunners of the spinoff.

Has theStranger Thingscast said anything about it?

So far, Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler, is the only member of theStranger Thingscast to correctly guess what the spinoff may revolve around.

"Nobody — not Netflix, not any of the producers, not any of the directors, not any of the actors — nobody else has figured out what the spinoff is. Finn figured [it] out, which is pretty remarkable," Ross Duffertold Variety. "We've mind-melded with this kid a bit."

While chatting with Variety, Wolfhard speculated about what the forthcomingStranger Thingsspinoff could be about, and compared it to another beloved cult series.

"Like David Lynch'sTwin Peaks," he told the outlet. "Sort of an anthology and different tones but similar universe or same universe. I think set in different places and all tied together through this mythology of the Upside Down. Don't even talk about Hawkins. Don't have any mention of our characters. They were toying around with ideas in case Netflix wanted them. I'm sure they do, and I'm sure it will happen, but there's nothing official. I think the coolest way, the way that I would do it, there has to be labs everywhere. If there was one in Hawkins, there's one in Russia. Where else could they be?"

TheStranger Thingsspinoff was confirmed in November 2025 when Matt Duffertold Deadline, "We are moving forward with it. Netflix, they finally know what it is. We held it. They were so frustrated. We just would not tell them. Finn guessed what it was. So he was the only one who knew."

byAlex Forten

in

January 01, 2026

What we know about the 'Stranger Things' spinoff — plus the one cast member who guessed it correctly

For the Duffer brothers,Stranger Thingsmarks the end of an era… sort of. Though the hit Netflix series is coming to an en...

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Waitress paraded sparkler-topped champagne bottle through bar seconds before blaze

Credit: via X

The New Year's Eve party was well under way when tragedy struck.

As around 200 revellers were celebrating in the packed basement of Le Constellation bar, a barmaid carrying a champagne bottle topped with a sparkler made her way through the crowd.

The barmaid, carried on the shoulders of a colleague, held the bottle above her head near the basement's ceiling, setting it alight, witnesses said.

Footage taken inside shows theflames rapidly spreading along the roofabove the bar as the music continues playing at around 1:30am local time on New Year's Day. A crowd of party-goers, the vast majority being aged between 15 and 20, rushed to escape via a narrow flight of stairs through a single door.

Credit: via X

Others tried to smash windows to escape as the fire started spreading to the ground floor. But many were left trapped inside after the basement's ceiling collapsed on top of them, witnesses said.

Several dozens of people were killed and 100 seriously injured in the fire. Many of the victims are believed to have been trapped, with reports suggesting there were not enough emergency exits.

Police are investigating whether the bar, which videos show was densely packed, had exceeded the legal limit on the number of customers.

Emma, a French witness, said the fire spread "in seconds".

"Some of the bottles were near the ceiling and it caught fire. The whole ceiling was in flames and the fire spread really fast. It happened in seconds. We all ran outside, screaming and crying," she told French news channel BFMTV.

"I saw a young man writhing in agony on the floor. His body and his hair were badly burned and half of his face had gone. I think he must have died."

Panic-stricken parents rushed to the scene from around the town and beyond to find out whether their children were trapped inside. Video showed young people piling out of the pub screaming as they escaped the flames and black smoke.

Sitting 25 miles north of the Matterhorn mountain and 81 miles south of Zurich, the upmarket resort town of Crans-Montana is popular with British tourists and visitors from elsewhere, there for the skiing and the party atmosphere.

Billed by some as the "best place to celebrate New Year's Eve" in the town, Le Constellation was packed with young people, largely aged between 15 and 20, witnesses said.

"The party was in full swing ... music and champagne flowing freely," according to one witness.

Lighting sparklers in bottles in the cramped confines of the basement had even featured in a promotional video for the venue posted on social media previously.

It showed waitresses wearing crash helmets walking through the club, waving pyrotechnics flaring out of Dom Perignon champagne bottles precariously close to the beamed ceiling.

Credit: YouTube / Constellation Crans Montana

Another witness, called Albane, said she saw the ceiling catch fire after the firework was lit in the bottle.

"It was clearly accidental," the witness added.

One young man watching from across the street said he saw about 20 people scrambling to escape the smoke and flames.

Likening what he witness to a "horror movie", he told The Telegraph: "We are broken. Apparently there were sparklers. They should be banned."

"How did this happen? I heard screaming after. People ran out everywhere and then fire engines came," he added.

Crans-Montana's local authority had banned fireworks and sparklers during the New Year's Eve celebrations over concerns that a lack of rain over the past month had left conditions dangerously dry, increasing the risk of fires catching and spreading quickly.

A local reported hearing loud explosions coming from the vicinity of the Le Constellation.

"I heard a number of massive bangs, which sounded like bombs going off. It was crazy," they said. "I live hundreds of yards from the bar. I heard screaming and screaming and people running."

Adrien, an eyewitness who was outside the club when the fire broke out, described the horror of watching those inside flee for their lives.

"There was a young man with burns on the pavement outside who kept saying: 'It hurts, I'm in pain, please call an ambulance.'" he said.

Helicopters and ambulances rushed to the scene, with emergency services from neighbouring countries deployed to assist the rescue operation.

Credit: TikTok / ladzdrie92i

The intensive care unit and operating theatre at the regional hospital were overwhelmed with victims and those suffering the worst burns were sent to university hospitals across Switzerland.

With the scale of the tragedy quickly becoming apparent, the authorities called on residents to show caution over the coming days to avoid placing further strain on the medical system.

Michela Ris, the deputy mayor of the Swiss town of Ascona, who was in Crans-Montana to celebrate New Year's Eve, described how she was still frantically searching for friends on New Year's morning.

"Some acquaintances told me about young people leaving the bar covered in blood, some without their clothes. It was a real bloodbath," she told Swiss media.

"We have friends who are not responding to messages. Maybe they are just asleep, but we don't know if, after being at our house, they went straight home or if they went for one last drink, perhaps to the very club where the tragedy took place.

"We are very worried and are trying to contact everyone, one by one, to make sure they are okay. We are devastated."

As morning broke, residents and commuters gathered outside, many in tears, devastated at the night's events in their town.

Around 50 family members were waiting for news on their missing loved ones.

Referring to the sparkler that caused the fire, a bus driver told The Telegraph: "They're banned in a lot of clubs and they should never be allowed anywhere near crowded places. This is an absolute tragedy."

As the region declared a period of mourning Mathias Rénard, head of the regional government, told reporters: "This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare."

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.

byAlex Forten

in

January 01, 2026

Waitress paraded sparkler-topped champagne bottle through bar seconds before blaze

Credit: via X The New Year's Eve party was well under way when tragedy struck. As around 200 revellers were...

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