Sparklers on champagne bottles likely caused deadly Swiss bar fire

A fire at a Swiss ski resort bar appears to have been caused by sparklers placed on champagne bottles “too close to the ceiling”, authorities said.

Forty people died after the fire in the early hours of the New Year in Crans-Montana, while 119 were injured.

Valais Attorney General Béatrice Pilloud told a news conference on Friday that the investigation would look into the materials used at the site, the bar’s fire safety measures, its capacity and the number of people inside at the time of the fire.

The investigation will determine whether charges will be necessary. “If that is the case, and if these people are still alive, a case will be opened against them,” she said.

“Everything suggests that the fire started from flickering candles – or sparklers – which were placed on bottles of champagne. [that were] too close to the ceiling. From there, a fire started very quickly,” Ms Pilloud said at the conference.

Authorities are still working to formally identify the 40 people killed in the fire, with police commander Frédéric Gisler saying “this is our priority.”

Many people injured in the fire remain in critical condition, authorities said.

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

The process of formally identifying six more people is underway, he said, and cautioned that the numbers could still change.

Mathias Reynard, president of the Valais region, indicated that around fifty injured people “have been transferred or will be transferred soon to European countries in specialized centers for severe burns”.

“Many people were injured and are still fighting to survive,” Mr. Reynard said.

Among the injured was French footballer Tahirys Dos Santos, 19, according to a statement released by his football club, FC Mertz.

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

Families of those missing after the fire were still anxiously awaiting updates from officials Friday evening.

Among those missing is Italian national Achille Barosi, 16, who entered the bar at 1:30 a.m. local time on New Year’s Day to retrieve his jacket and phone. Since then, his family has not heard from him.

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

At Friday’s news conference, officials said they were identifying victims using a process called “disaster victim identification,” through which a team of forensic pathologists, doctors, dentists and investigators collect data that allows them to name the dead.

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

She said investigators were looking into the possibility of installing foam in the ceiling, adding that she could not say with certainty at this stage whether the foam was compliant or not, nor whether it was installed with or without permission.

“It’s critical that we don’t make any assumptions…we let our work do,” she said.

She said the two French managers of the bar had been questioned, as well as people who escaped the fire.

Ms Pilloud said the interviews helped them compile a list of those who were present during the incident.

Léa Zehnder, 22, was celebrating the New Year in a bar within sight of the Constellation.

She described hearing screams coming from the Constellation and said her boyfriend helped the badly burned people.

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

Meanwhile, Tristan Fischer, 20, told the BBC his 17-year-old brother smashed windows and grabbed people in the bar as the fire took hold.

He said he was concerned his brother’s mental health would be permanently affected by the incident: “He hasn’t spoken well, he hasn’t slept well since.”

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

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

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

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

White tents covered the entrances and exits to the site.

Just outside the town, a conference center is being used to provide support to the families of the missing.

A ceremony will take place in Crans-Montana on January 9 to gather for a moment of “national mourning”.