A fire that tore through a bar at a Swiss ski resort killing at least 40 people likely started when "fountain candle" sparklers were held aloft too close to the ceiling, the region's chief prosecutor said on Friday. Witnesses have recounted seeing bar staff carrying sparkling fountain candles attached to bottles of champagne. The Valais canton's chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said the sparklers were a leading line of enquiry that looked to be firming up. 2 4 Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud attends a press conference following a fire and an explosion at the "Le Constellation" bar, during a New Year's Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, in Sion, Switzerland, January 2, 2026. Investigators have interviewed the bar's owners, a French couple who bought the bar in the Crans-Montana resort in 2015 according to the Valais company registry.

Source: The Telegraph January 02, 2026 18:31 UTC