New Year's Eve sparklers may have caused deadly Swiss bar fire: Official

"Initial investigations suggest that sparklers attached to champagne bottles may have ignited the devastating fire that ripped through a Swiss ski resort bar on New Year's Eve, killing more than three dozen people, the local prosecutor says. Everything suggests that the fire started from the burning candles or Bengal lights' that had been attached to champagne bottles, prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said during a news conference on Friday. list of 3 itemsend of list These went too close to the ceiling."

"From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread conflagration ensued, Pilloud told reporters. At least 40 people were killed and 119 others wounded in the blaze that broke out at the crowded Le Constellation bar in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana in the early hours of Thursday. The deadly fire has prompted an outpouring of grief among residents, tourists and survivors, many of whom are still seeking information about missing friends and loved ones."

"Reporting from Crans-Montana on Friday afternoon, Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull said people have been bringing flowers and lighting candles at a memorial to the victims. [There is] real sadness on the face of so many people, said Hull, describing the town as a place of collective grief and mourning. Just down the road over there, you can see white, plastic sheeting surrounding Le Constellation bar obscuring the work of forensic investigators going about the painstaking task of identifying around 40 bodies, he added."

Sparkler-style candles or Bengal lights attached to champagne bottles likely ignited a fatal New Year's Eve fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana when they reached the ceiling, triggering a rapid conflagration. At least 40 people were killed and 119 wounded; investigators and forensic teams are identifying victims and processing the scene under white plastic sheeting. Authorities have identified 113 of the injured, including nationals from France, Italy, and Serbia. Families and the community are grieving and awaiting information about missing loved ones. Flowers, candles, and a memorial have formed as officials arrange transfers and medical care for survivors.

Read at www.aljazeera.com