Initial investigations suggest the fire that tore through a Swiss ski resort bar New Year's Eve, killing at least 40 and injuring dozens of others, started when 'fountain candles' attached to champagne bottles were carried too close to the ceiling.

Sion

A deadly fire at Le Constellation bar in Cran-Montana, Switzerland, resulted in at least 40 fatalities and 119 injuries, with around 50 people suffering severe burns. Swiss officials believe the fire was likely caused by sparklers or candles attached to champagne bottles that ignited the foam ceiling during New Year's celebrations.

Local hospitals were overwhelmed, and some victims were transported to facilities in neighboring countries. Authorities are investigating whether the bar's ceiling met safety standards and if criminal negligence occurred. Families continue to search for missing loved ones as a memorial has been established at the site.

Deadly Swiss fire likely caused by champagne sparklers

The social media videos are chilling. The ceiling of Le Constellation bar on fire. A man failing to put it out. Young people around him dancing and filming with their phones seemingly oblivious to the danger. Not for long. This video showing New Year's partiers desperately trying to escape what quickly became a death trap. The fire claiming at least 40 lives. The fire began in the bar's basement. Witnesses described cramming into one narrow staircase to escape. I felt a ball of fire pass over my head. I closed my eyes, says 19-year-old Ferdinand de Baudiez. When I opened them again, I couldn't breathe. Swiss officials now believe they know the cause. Everything suggests that the fire started from the burning candles or sparklers attached to the champagne bottles which were then held too close to the ceiling says Chief Prosecutor Beatrice Pilou. This image appearing to show the moment it happened. The flames reaching foam in the ceiling. The sparklers were a common occurrence at the bar seen here in a promotional video. The 119 injured overwhelmed local hospitals. Around 50 with severe burns. Parents still search for their missing. It's been 30 hours since my son disappeared, says Laetitia Brodar. She is desperate to believe her 16-year-old son Artur is still alive. Perhaps taken to a hospital outside of Switzerland. I want the photo of my child to be everywhere so that just in case someone recognizes him, they could call me, contact me, she says. Investigators say they've turned to dozens of experts including police, doctors and dentists to help identify the dead. Fire investigators are focused on a number of things including whether a layer of ceiling was compliant with safety requirements. Prosecutors say they're also looking at whether anyone should be held criminally responsible for negligence. Caroline Bargout, CBC News, London. Radio Canada's Tamara Altaresco is in Cran-Montana, Switzerland at the scene of the devastating fire. Now a memorial for the victims. We are standing in front of what used to be Le Bar La Constellation. We are in the middle, in the heart of the village of Cran-Montana in the Swiss Alps and people have been coming here all day to light candles, to drop flowers and to pray. This is a very small village and most of the people who come here, even though it's very touristic here, are locals who are still awaiting to hear from friends, from loved ones who have not been reached since the night of the fire. This is a very painful moment and what strucks is how young these people are. The bar was full that night, they were all celebrating New Year's. We know some are in hospital, they've been badly burned. We don't know in what city because people have been brought to different hospitals, not only here in Switzerland but the number of people that are injured is so massive that they had to transport them in other countries such as Italy, France and Germany. What we have been able to see is a crisis centre that was set up right down the street from here and where families are receiving psychological help. The Foreign Minister of Italy was here because a lot of the victims would be Italian. So these are very painful hours for the families who still await to know where their loved ones are, if they have survived and if they're still alive, in what conditions. This is Tamara Alteresco, Radio-Canada, in Cran-Montana, in Switzerland.

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