Sparklers on champagne bottles blamed for deadly Crans-Montana bar fire; teens among missing

Swiss investigators said sparklers fixed to champagne bottles are the likely cause of a blaze that tore through the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana in the early hours of New Year's Day. At least 40 people were killed and 119 injured when the fire swept through the basement venue, officials said.

Valais attorney general Beatrice Pilloud said: "It would appear that the fire started from sparkler candles, otherwise known as flares, which were placed on top of champagne bottles." Images circulating online showed sparklers on bottles close to the ceiling. Officials are still examining whether a foam-like material on the ceiling helped the blaze spread.

A retired firefighter who reviewed images suggested the ceiling could have been coated in highly flammable polyurethane, saying such material should be "nowhere where there are uncontrolled naked flames". The bar's owners were interviewed as people called to give information, authorities said.

Questions remain about exits and safety protocols after some victims said they could not find emergency exits. Identification of the dead and injured has been hampered by severe burns, and experts are relying on DNA samples in some cases, a process that could take weeks. Some 22 young patients are in critical condition at Lausanne University Hospital.

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World, United Kingdom, Fire, Switzerland, Ski Resort, Teens, Safety