Khaberni - Swiss authorities indicated on Friday that a type of fireworks was the cause of the fire that erupted in a pub at the Crans-Montana ski resort on New Year’s Eve, killing at least forty people.
The public prosecutor of the Valais canton, Beatrice Belo, stated that indications suggest that "the fire was caused by sparkler candles... placed on champagne bottles that were very close to the ceiling, at which point rapid ignition occurred" and spread, confirming that its two French managers were interrogated.
In addition to the forty dead, the fire also resulted in 119 injuries, with 113 of these individuals having been identified, according to Valais police chief Frederic Gisler, who noted that 50 of the injured were transferred to European countries for treatment in specialized burn centers.
