Initial investigations suggest that a fire that ripped through the basement of a bar in a Swiss ski resort may have started when so-called "fountain candles" attached to champagne bottles were raised too close to the ceiling, a local prosecutor said.
Swiss authorities say the fire killed 40 people and injured more than 100. Investigators are combing through the ruins of the bar, reviewing video footage and speaking to survivors in search of clues about how the fire started.
Several witnesses said they saw bar staff holding lit fountain candles attached to champagne bottles. Prosecutor Beatrice Pilu said the candles were one of the main lines of investigation and that the assumption was increasingly confirmed, Reuters reports.
"Everything indicates that the fire was caused by burning candles or so-called 'sparklers' that were attached to champagne bottles. They were too close to the ceiling," she said at a press conference.
"From that moment on, the fire spread quickly, very quickly and widely."
Investigators questioned the two owners of the bar, a married couple from France who, according to the local canton's business register, purchased the bar in 2015.
The investigation will focus on the building's previous adaptations and the materials used, the existence of adequate fire extinguishing systems and evacuation exits, as well as the number of people who were in the bar at the time of the fire.
Pilu said further investigation will determine whether there are grounds for criminal liability.
"If this is confirmed and if these people are still alive, an investigation will be launched against them for negligence leading to a fire, negligence resulting in death, and negligence leading to bodily harm," the prosecutor added.
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