The deadly fire at a bar in Switzerland on New Year’s Eve that killed 40 people may have been triggered by sparkler candles held too close to the ceiling, according to local prosecutors.

The fire tore through Le Constellation bar in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana, engulfing a mostly young crowd of revellers celebrating the arrival of the new year. At least 40 people were killed, and dozens more suffered severe injuries in what officials have described as one of the country’s deadliest peacetime fires in recent memory.

Sparkler Candles Under Scrutiny

Local prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said early investigations indicate the inferno likely began when so-called “fountain candles,” also known as Bengal lights, were raised aloft while attached to champagne bottles, reported Reuters.

“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. While the theory appears probable, she stressed it has not yet been formally confirmed. Once ignited, she said, the flames spread with alarming speed. “From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread conflagration ensued.”

Identification Of Victims Ongoing

Authorities said it remains too early to determine whether anyone will face criminal charges, but the investigation will assess whether negligence played a role in the tragedy.

Meanwhile, forensic teams are grappling with the painstaking process of identifying victims, a task officials described as both delicate and time-consuming due to the severity of the burns. Swiss authorities warned it could take several days before all those killed are formally named.

The official death toll stands at 40, with at least 119 people injured, many of them critically. Officials cautioned that these figures may still change.

“Many of those injured are still fighting for their lives today,” Valais regional chief Mathias Reynard said at the same briefing.

Around 50 of the wounded have been transferred, or are expected to be transferred, to specialised burn units in hospitals across Europe. Germany and France are among the countries providing treatment.

Police chief Frederic Gisler said 113 of the injured have so far been identified. Of those, 71 are Swiss nationals, along with 14 French and 11 Italians. The injured also include four Serbians, and one person each from Bosnia, Belgium, Poland, Portugal and Luxembourg.

Investigators are also examining whether insulation foam in the ceiling may have contributed to the fire’s swift and deadly spread.