Sparkling sparklers and candles in champagne bottles caused bar fire, investigators believe

At a press conference, investigators released the latest news about the tragedy that occurred on New Year’s Day, when 40 people died and another 119 were injured in a fire that devastated the busy Le Constellation bar.

The bowling alley at the Crans-Montana ski resort burned fiercely as attendees celebrated New Year’s Eve.

Investigators said they are “considering several hypotheses” to determine the cause of the fire and “currently assume the fire was caused by flares attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling.”

Béatrice Pilloud, attorney general of Valais, said that everything indicates that the fire was caused by candles, sparklers and champagne bottles that were placed too close to the ceiling. From there, the fire broke out quickly.

The prosecutor reported that videos have been obtained and analyzed and several people have been interviewed, she adds.

The attorney general further stated that the two French managers of the bar were interviewed as well as the people who escaped the fire, which spread quickly through the premises.

Pilloud said the interviews helped them establish a list of people present during the incident.

Pilloud told reporters that investigation is looking into foam installation and will determine if it complied with the regulations.

He added that, at this time, he cannot say with certainty whether the foam was in compliance or not, nor whether it was installed with or without authorization.

“It is essential that we do not make assumptions…let us do our job,” he told the room.

In turn, Pierre-Antoine Lengen, head of the Swiss Judicial Police, explained that the identification of the deceased is the “absolute priority” at this time and added that almost all cantonal police forces are being used.

The authorities can resort to a structure called Identification of Disaster Victims (DIV) to identify disaster victims. This includes police, coroners, doctors and dentists.

“No mistake can be allowed. We need to return the correct remains to the families,” he said.

The fire left 119 injured, of which 113 have been identified, between them 14 French, 11 Italian and four Serbianthe police said.

The authorities have so far counted 40 deaths. “About fifty injured people have been transferred or will be transferred shortly to European countriesa centers specialized in major burns“said Mathias Reynard, president of the government of the canton of Valais, at a press conference in Sion.

Eric Bonvin, general director of the Valais Hospital, added that 55 people with serious injuries were taken to the hospital the night of the incident.

Of these 55, 13 were able to return home and 11 remain in Sion hospital, he adds.

Twenty-eight were later transferred to other Swiss or foreign hospitals, adds Bonvin.

Of the 11 people who remain in the Sion hospital, four are in intensive care in critical conditionthree are being operated on, he adds, and another four are being operated on at the nearby Sierre Hospital.

The tragedy took place in a festive context, when the population of Valais doubles, according to the general director of the Valais Hospital.

The emergency center was already busy the night of the incident with common injuries, adds Eric Bonvin.

He stated that the Sion team responded immediately, adding that all the injured received treatment.

The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 1, in the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, a place frequented by tourists, many of them young people, who were celebrating the New Year.

It is unknown how many people were in this two-level bar, one of them underground, with a capacity of at least 300 people, according to its website.

About 40 people were killed and 115 others were injured. At a Geneva hospital, a doctor reported that patients, some as young as 15, are being treated for severe burns.