By Tom Ozimek
Contributing Writer
A devastating New Year’s Eve fire that tore through a crowded ski resort bar in Switzerland, killing at least 40 people and injuring 119 others, was likely sparked by decorative flares attached to champagne bottles that ignited the ceiling, according to Swiss officials.
Chief prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud told reporters on Friday that investigators have now confirmed central elements of their initial theory about the fire at Le Constellation, the popular Crans-Montana nightlife venue where the blaze erupted with devastating speed.
“Everything suggests that the fire started from the burning candles or ‘Bengal lights’ that had been attached to champagne bottles,” Pilloud told a news conference, adding that this hypothesis was likely, but not yet confirmed. “From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread conflagration ensued.”
Pilloud added that the sparklers or flares likely came too close to the ceiling and led to a “flashover” fire, in which combustible gases ignite almost simultaneously throughout a confined space. She said investigators are looking into whether the ceiling’s insulation foam contributed to the quick spread of the blaze.
Victims of the fire suffered serious burns and smoke inhalation, prompting the transfer of some patients by air to specialized burn units across Switzerland and Europe.
The bodies of some of the 40 individuals killed in the inferno were burned so badly that they have yet to be identified.
Hospitals Overwhelmed, Death Toll Uncertain
Valais Cantonal Police commander Frederic Gisler said on Friday that 119 people were injured, many suffering severe burns or smoke inhalation. Of those hurt, 71 are Swiss nationals, 14 French, and 11 Italian. Others include citizens of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, and Portugal, while the nationality of 14 injured people has yet to be confirmed, Gisler said.
Around 50 of the injured have been transferred, or are in the process of being transferred, to specialist burn units in hospitals across Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe, as local medical facilities were quickly overwhelmed, Valais area chief Mathias Reynard told reporters.
“Many of those injured are still fighting for their lives today,” Reynard said, cautioning that the official death toll of 40 is not final.
Identification has been severely hampered by the extent of the burns, with some victims requiring DNA analysis before they can be named. Wallets and identity documents were, in many cases, destroyed in the flames.
Among the missing are teenagers and young adults, deepening the tragedy for families gathered near the cordoned-off site. Laetitia Brodard-Sitre, the mother of 16-year-old Arthur Brodard, has remained near the bar since the fire, clutching a photograph taken of her son just two hours before he entered Le Constellation.
“This was taken that night, two hours before,” she said through tears. “If you have seen him, in hospitals, if you have seen him in the morgue, whether he’s alive or deceased, please contact me. I don’t know how severe his burns are, I don’t know if he’s recognizable. … All I want is to find my child.”
Witness accounts describe scenes of chaos as the fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Two women who escaped told French broadcaster BFMTV that they saw a bartender lift a colleague on his shoulders as she held a lit sparkler-topped bottle moments before flames spread across the ceiling. Panic ensued as partygoers attempted to flee through narrow exits and up stairways from a basement-level dance area, causing dangerous crowd surges. Some smashed windows to escape the smoke and heat.
Prosecutors said the investigation will examine whether the use of sparklers was permitted, as well as the bar’s safety measures, including fire extinguishers and escape routes. Pilloud said that prosecutions are possible if criminal liability is established.
“If this is indeed the case and these individuals are still alive, an investigation will be opened against them for negligent arson, negligent homicide, and negligent bodily harm,” she said.
The tragedy has shaken Switzerland, a country unaccustomed to mass-casualty disasters of this scale.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
