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Swiss update: flares on wine bottles caused deadly fire
Investigators say flares on wine bottles caused the deadly fire to break out. Italy announced the death toll from the blaze is now at 47.
Investigators believe sparkling flares atop Champagne bottles may have caused the deadly fire at a Swiss ski resort on Thursday.
Forty people were killed and another 119 were injured in the blaze at the busy Le Constellation bar at Crans-Montana.
It was one of the worst tragedies to hit Switzerland.
Fatal fire in Swiss Alps kills dozens
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Investigation after 40 killed in ski resort fire
Around 40 people were killed and 115 others were left hurt when a fire ripped through a crowded bar. The fire happened during a New Year's Eve party at an upscale Swiss ski resort in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
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The fire broke out at about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday during a New Year’s celebration inside the Le Constellation bar.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female colleague on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.
People tried to escape from a nightclub area in the basement, up a flight of stairs and through a narrow door, causing a crowd surge, one of the women said.
Swiss officials described the blaze as a likely flashover, meaning that it triggered the release of combustible gases that can then ignite violently.
The injured suffered from serious burns and smoke inhalation. Some were flown to specialist hospitals across the country and elsewhere in Europe.
Authorities urged people to show caution in the coming days to avoid any incidents that could require the already overwhelmed medical resources.
Several people still missing
The severity of the burns has made it difficult to identify the deceased, leading families to hand over DNA samples to authorities as they investigate the tragedy.
This photograph shows flowers, candles and a teddy bear laid near the site of a fire that ripped through a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in the Alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana killing around 40 people and injuring more than 100 other …
Among the missing include six Italian citizens and eight French citizens.
Of the 119 who were injured, 113 were identified.
The injured include 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French and 11 Italians, along with citizens of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal and Poland, Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said Friday. The nationalities of 14 people remain unclear.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from previous reporting by FOX Local and The Associated Press. This story was reported from San Jose.