Swiss prosecutor says 'fountain candles' may have started Crans-Montana fire

A member of the police walks at Sion funeral centre following a fire and an explosion in the "Le Constellation" bar, during a New Year's Eve party, where people died and others were injured, in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, in Sion, Switzerland, January 2, 2026. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland, Jan 2 (Reuters) - ‌Initial investigations indicate that the fire which tore through the ‌basement of a Swiss ski resort bar may have started ‌when 'fountain candles' attached to champagne bottles were held aloft too close to the ceiling, the local prosecutor said on Friday.

Swiss officials put the death toll at 40 with ‍more than 100 injured. Investigators are combing through ‍the ruins of the ‌bar, examining video recordings and interviewing survivors in the hunt for clues ‍on ​how the fire broke out.