Sparklers on champagne bottles likely cause of deadly Swiss bar fire

Authorities said the fire that broke out in a bar at a ski resort in Switzerland was caused by sparklers placed on champagne bottles “getting too close to the ceiling.”

40 people died and 119 people were injured in the fire that broke out in Crans-Montana in the early hours of New Year’s Eve.

Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said at a press conference on Friday that the investigation will focus on the materials used in the area, the bar’s fire safety measures, its capacity and the number of people inside at the time of the fire.

The investigation will investigate whether prosecution will be necessary. “If this is the case and these people are still alive, a lawsuit will be filed against them,” he said.

“Everything makes us think that the fire started from bright candles or sparklers placed on champagne bottles.” [that were] He got too close to the ceiling. After that the fire started very quickly,” Ms Pilloud told the conference.

While police commander Frédéric Gisler said “this is our priority”, authorities are still trying to determine the official identities of the 40 people who died in the fire.

Authorities said most of those injured in the fire were in critical condition.

Gisler said 113 of the injured have been officially identified. This figure includes 71 Swiss citizens, 14 French and 11 Italians, as well as four Serbs.

The official said that the official identification process of the other six people was ongoing, and warned that the figures could still change.

Mathias Reynard, president of the Valais region, said about 50 injured people “have been or will soon be transferred to special centers in European countries for severe burns.”

“Many people were injured and are still fighting for their lives,” Mr. Reynard said.

According to the statement made by football club FC Mertz, 19-year-old French football player Tahirys Dos Santos was among those injured.

The club said Dos Santos was “severely burned” in the fire and was sent to Germany for treatment.

Families of those lost in the fire They were still anxiously awaiting updates from authorities Friday evening.

Among the missing is 16-year-old Italian national Achille Barosi, who entered the bar at 01.30 local time on New Year’s Eve to take his jacket and phone. His family hasn’t heard from him since that day.

“We don’t know if he’s still alive,” his aunt Francesca told the BBC World Service OS programme. He said his nephew was an excellent painter and was enrolled in an art school in Milan.

At a news conference Friday, officials said they identified the victims using a process called “Disaster Victim Identification,” in which a team of forensic experts, doctors, dentists and investigators collect data that allows them to identify the names of the dead.

Ms Pilloud later told the press conference that the investigation would also investigate whether the bar ceiling complied with building regulations.

He said inspectors were investigating the placement of foam on the ceiling, adding that at this stage he could not say for sure whether the foam complied with the rules or whether it was placed with or without permission.

“It’s very important that we don’t make any assumptions… let us do our job,” he said.

He said the bar’s two French managers were interviewed, as well as people who survived the fire.

Ms Pilloud said the interviews helped them create a list of those who were present at the time of the incident.

Lea Zehnder, 22, was celebrating the New Year in a bar close to Le Constellation.

She described hearing screams coming from Le Constellation and said her boyfriend was helping those with severe burns.

“They couldn’t walk or talk,” he said.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Tristan Fischer told the BBC that as the fire grew, his 17-year-old brother broke the windows and kidnapped people in the bar.

He said he was concerned his brother’s mental health had been permanently affected by the incident: “He didn’t speak properly, he hasn’t slept properly since.”

Le Constellation is a large bar that has been around for many years.

Although it is not known how many people were there at the time of the fire, it could accommodate up to 300 people and had a small terrace.

On Friday, groups of tearful families and teenagers gathered near the police cordon around the pub.

Some left bouquets of flowers and candles, while others left messages at a makeshift shrine.

The entrances and exits of the site were covered with white tents.

A conference center just outside of town is being used to provide support to bereaved families.

A ceremony will be held in Crans-Montana on January 9 so that people can come together for a moment of “national mourning.”