Valais authorities have revealed the ‘probable’ cause of the fire at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, which claimed 40 lives and injured 119 people – “sparklers or Bengal candles” on Champagne bottles.
Investigators suspect that the fire was caused by candles and sparklers placed on champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling.
This information is based on videos and witness statements from the scene.
Regional chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud told reporters told reporters on Friday that all possible causes are being examined and that “no lead will be ignored”.
But she said “everything leads us to believe that the fire was started by sparkles or Bengal candles that were put on the top of Champagne bottles and that got too close to the ceiling.
“After that the fire ignited very quickly,” she said.
Pilloud said the probe would now focus on the materials used in the bar, the operating permits and safety measures such as fire extinguishers and emergency exits.
A French couple that manages the Le Constellation bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana, where 40 people died and 119 were injured, have been questioned, Pilloud told reporters.
“The owners of the premises were also interviewed, to understand the layout of the premise as well as the capacity of the bar,” Pilloud said.
No criminal proceedings have been launched, but she said work was being carried out to see whether anyone still alive could face criminal proceedings.
Authorities have confirmed the bar did have a fire exit but suggested many caught in the blaze may not have been able to work out where it was.
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Some of the victims have been identified
Only one of those who died in the fire has been identified so far: Emanuele Galeppini, 17, a promising Italian golfer from Genoa.
Identifying others, authorities said, may take days but is ‘a top priority.’
As for the injured, 113 have been identified so far.
Among them, 71 are Swiss nationals. 14 are French, 11 Italian, 4 Serbian, 1 Bosnian, 1 Belgian, 1 Luxembourger, 1 Portuguese, and 1 Polish. The nationality of 14 others remains unknown.
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The blaze, which Swiss President Guy Parmelin called “one of the worst tragedies in Switzerland’s history,” tore through the bar, called Le Constellation, after 1 am on January 1st, as hundreds of young people celebrated the New Year.
Some of the injured were taken by ambulance to a hospital in the Valais capital of Sion, while those suffering from severe burns were airlifted to burn units at the Zurich and Lausanne university hospitals.
Others are hospitalised in France, Italy, and Germany.
READ ALSO: What we know about the victims of the Swiss ski resort fire
