Swiss prosecutors said on Friday (Jan. 2) that sparklers likely started the fire at a Swiss ski resort, ruling out the possibility of an attack.
The prosecutors also say that sparklers were being held too close to the ceiling, which was lined with foam for soundproofing.
Two women told a French broadcaster that they saw what caused the fire.
According to them, a male bartender lifted a female colleague on his shoulders as she held a champagne bottle with a sparkler in it.
Swiss officials say the blaze most likely triggered the release of gases. Those gases then rapidly ignited and caused what firefighters call a flashover or a backdraft.
The bar where the fire broke out is located in a basement. People panicked as they tried to run up the stairs and exit the building.
At least 40 people are dead, although some unconfirmed reports said the number is actually closer to 50.
A fire security expert Olivier Burnier said the tragedy could have been prevented if norms and regulations were followed properly.
“It’s always the accumulation of having a lot of people who do not necessarily know the site well who might have consumed alcohol and then voila, you have an incident,” Burnier said.
He also said the ceiling foam might count as a highly flammable material which goes against regulations as well as having sparklers near such a material.
Local officials say they didn’t know about the situation at the bar before the tragedy happened.
“The cantonal fire service has never received a report of defects or non-compliance in this building,” said Stephne Ganzer, a Valais State councilor.
Another issue is identifying the victims.
Rescue aircraft continue flying to and from the Swiss Alpine town, Kranz, Montana on Friday, as many victims have not yet been identified.
A doctor at the local hospital says it is difficult for multiple reasons partly because it was a public event so investigators don’t know who went there, how many people exactly there were and even if they had identification on them the papers most likely burned.
A survivor of the New Year’s tragedy recounts the moment when she might have lost her friend.
“We saw the fire and we went straight back up. I grabbed my friend’s arm, but then I climbed the stairs and I let go. Now he’s not answering me anymore,” Laetitia Place said in tears.
An American student on vacation says he could have been a victim if he had made a different decision on New Year’s Eve.
“It’s so close to us that we might have gone there even though we didn’t go there,” said Eloan Atiso, a US student on vacation in Switzerland. “There was a significant chance that we ended up dead because we decided to go party.”
Investigations and identifications will continue in Switzerland.
