US EditionSwiss bar fire that killed 40 started by sparklers on champagne bottles, officials say
Initial findings indicate handheld sparklers on champagne bottles ignited flammable ceiling materials, causing a rapid blaze that killed 40 and injured 119, many severely, authorities said.
- Around 1.30am on January 1, a blaze ripped through the basement of the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, killing 40 and injuring 119, officials reported.
- Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said investigators now favour a theory that fountain candles or handheld sparklers on champagne bottles ignited the ceiling, while authorities probe if the ceiling insulation foam helped spread the fire.
- Rescuers mobilised 13 helicopters, 42 ambulances and 150 responders, while many victims suffered burns covering 45–60% of their bodies and were transferred to specialist burn units across Europe.
- Laetitia Brodard said, 'The hotline still has no more information today', as relatives seek answers while prosecutors question Le Constellation's two French managers.
- Swiss President Guy Parmelin called it one of the worst tragedies as the Valais government declared a state of emergency, with France, Germany and Italy offering patient care and flags flown at half mast for five days.
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der Standard DEAn 'Avoidable Tragedy': The Hazards That Led to the Swiss Fire Disaster
The fire that killed at least 40 people in a Swiss bar on New Year’s Day was made more likely by apparent flaws in the site’s design and management, experts say
Could a Sparkler be to Blame for New Year's Blaze?
(Switzerland) – Witnesses say that sparklers on champagne bottles sparked the fatal fire at a Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland that killed at least 40 people, and injured 119 others. Many of the victims were young adults and some teenagers. Analysts have said that while it was the sparklers most likely to blame for the blaze, there were other aspects of the tragedy that could and should have been avoided. Here is everything we …
Heartbreak as Four Victims of Swiss Bar Fire Are Returned to Their Families
Imagine ringing in the New Year amid the snowy peaks of the Swiss Alps, only for celebrations to erupt into a deadly inferno that claimed young lives in seconds. A crammed basement bar full of New Year's revellers flipped into a hellish trap of fire and frenzy, gutting families and pushing investigators into overdrive. The fire ripped through the exclusive Le Constellation nightclub in Crans-Montana around 1:30am on Thursday, killing at least 40…
An ‘avoidable tragedy’: The hazards that led to the Swiss fire disaster - The Boston Globe
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland -- Sparklers shooting foot-long flames. A ceiling covered in flammable foam. A crowded basement with a narrow staircase exit that became a choke point.
Injured in Swiss ski resort fire fighting for their lives; Pinoy reported among them
(UPDATE) CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Dozens of young partygoers hurt in a New Year’s Eve bar fire in Switzerland were transferred to specialist burn units across Europe with serious injuries on Friday after being hit by the devastating blaze, which has killed at least 40.Philippine Embassy officials had yet to confirm online reports that a 16-year-old Filipino was among the fire’s casualties.Initial findings showed the fire that spread among th…
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