New Year's celebrations with ice torches indoors appear to have caused the fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
"We currently assume that the fire was caused by ice torches placed in champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling. In this way, the fire spread quickly. Initial evidence was secured on site," said Chief Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud at a press conference.
The information is confirmed by witnesses who were in the Le Constellation bar when the fire broke out. They also say that the champagne bottles were carried out by the wait staff.
"A woman was sitting on another woman's shoulders. She had two bottles with ice torches. She waved them so high that the torches touched the ceiling," 19-year-old Nathan, who managed to get out of the bar, told the Swiss newspaper Blick.
Will review ice torches
In pictures from the bar on New Year's Eve, you can also see people holding champagne bottles with ice torches up to the ceiling.
The fire then spread very quickly after the roof started burning.
Pilloud said at the press conference that fire investigators will examine whether the insulation in the ceiling met regulations. She also said an investigation will examine ice torches and whether they are safe to use in confined spaces.
Three inspections in ten years
The owner of the bar has been questioned by police and says in an initial interview with the media on Friday evening that the establishment followed all safety rules and that it has been inspected by the authorities three times in the last ten years.
"We are doing everything in our power to investigate the causes of the fire," he told 20 Minutes.
The newspaper Tribune de Genève, which also spoke to the owner, points out, however, that his statement is not in line with the safety regulations in force in the canton of Valais, which, according to the newspaper, require annual inspections.
