"We currently assume that the fire started from ice torches placed on champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling. In this way, the fire spread quickly. The first evidence was secured at the scene," 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 said that the champagne bottles were carried out by the service 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.
In pictures from the bar on New Year's Eve, people can also be seen holding champagne bottles with ice torches up to the ceiling.
Pilloud said at the press conference that fire investigators will investigate whether the insulation in the ceiling met regulations, the BBC reports. She said the investigation will also examine ice torches and whether they are safe to use in confined spaces.
