Switzerland fire latest: Sparkler candles on champagne bottles revealed as likely cause of deadly blaze

Swiss authorities have shared updates on the potential causes of the fire.

They said it could have “started from sparkler candles, otherwise known as flares that were placed on top of Champagne bottles.”

Authorities added: “They were taken too close to the ceiling leading to a flashover incident where the fire spread very rapidly.

“Several people have been interviewed and observations have been made on the premises.

“Two French managers of the bar and various people who escaped the tragedy have been interviewed.”

Investigations will look at renovation work, materials used and licensing arrangements and safety and security arrangements, fire extinguishers and emergency exit.

Several European nationalities have been identified among the victims of the tragedy.

Authorities said they had determined 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French citizens, 11 Italians, 4 Serbian, 1 Bosnian, 1 Belgian, 1 Polish person, 1 person from Luxembourg and 1 Portuguese.

The nationalities of at least 14 victims remains unknown with the numbers of all being subject to change depending on further information.

Swiss authorities have said that approximately 50 patients will be transferred to specialist burns hospitals across Europe.

Many victims are in a “life-threatening” condition.

Officials called the incident a “tragedy for Switzerland and the whole of Europe”.

The director of a Lausanne hospital has said that the injured victims are “young” according to Sky News.

Those being treated for injuries at the hospital are aged between 16 and 26, he said.

The bar is said to have been favoured by young people, according to locals.

Survivors of a deadly blaze that tore through a luxury ski resort are being treated across Europe after local hospitals reached capacity, according to The Guardian.

Injured victims were taken to Belgium, France and Germany after regional medical facilities reached their limit.

A Swiss news agency reported that more than 30 people were taken to specialist burns hospitals in Zurich and Lausanne while six were taken to Geneva.

Authorities have said identification could taken days or weeks due to the severity of the burns inflicted.

Three people being treated for injuries in hospital are yet to be identified, said Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani who was in Switzerland at the time of the incident.

He explained that 13 Italians were in hospital while six were registered as missing following the “immense tragedy”.

“Something was missing, something didn’t work, but it will be up to the judiciary to conduct the investigation and ascertain responsibility,” he said.

Public prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation following a fire at a luxury Alpine ski resort in Switzerland that has killed at least 40 people.

Attorney general for Valais canton, Beatrice Pilloud, ruled out the possibility of an attack, adding that the inquiry would work to determine the causes of the blaze.

A flashover is when a deadly fire spreads rapidly in an enclosed space, causing everything in the room to ignite almost instantly.

It is described the National Fire Association as “ the sudden, simultaneous ignition of everything in a room”.

Officials have said this is what most likely happened at Le Constellation bar, where at least 40 people were killed.

Italy’s foreign minster Antonio Tajani has called the safety situation of the Swiss ski resort bar “terrible” after a devastating fire took the lives of at least 40 people, and injured over 100.

Mr Tajani appeared visibly emotional as he exited ‘Le Constellation’ bar, describing the incident as a “tragedy”.

He said: “I’m a father and grandfather, so I can understand what a parent is feeling now.”

Mr Tajani said the use of small fireworks in the bar was “irresponsible”, adding: “This safety situation was terrible. We’ve seen some dramatic footage.

“Obviously, something didn’t work. It will be the judges who carry out the investigation and apportion liability.”