Swiss resort bar fire that killed around 40 might have been due to flares on top of champagne bottles

A New Year's Eve party at a Swiss ski resort turned deadly shortly after the clock struck midnight.

Around 40 people perished, and another 115 were seriously injured in the blaze that swept the Le Constellation bar in ski resort, Crans-Montana in Valais, southern Switzerland.

The incident occurred at around 1:30 am local time on Jan. 1, stated Valais police to Swissinfo.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin called the fire “one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced” in a press conference on Jan. 1.

Building was made of wood

The cause of the blaze is undetermined but appears to be an accident rather than an attack, stated Swissinfo.

Le Constellation is a large bar that reportedly could hold a maximum of 300 people. It is not clear how many attended the festivities.

An eyewitness told AFP that before the fire started, there were waitresses in the bar "with champagne bottles with flares too close to the ceiling", and that the "fire took hold suddenly".

According to BBC, another pair of French eyewitnesses told French broadcaster BFMTV that the fire was possibly a result of candles being "held too close to the ceiling, which caught fire".

They claim that "birthday candles" were placed on top of champagne bottles, which were lifted to the air by waitresses.

"In a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was ablaze. Everything was made of wood."

The flames spread and collapsed the ceiling of the basement nightclub, and evacuation was difficult due to the cramped room and narrow stairs that led outside.

Swiss hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at full capacity

According to the BBC, 13 helicopters, 42 ambulances and 150 emergency responders were dispatched to the scene.

The majority of the injured were burned severely, and 60 people were sent to Sion hospital in Valais, whose ICU is at full capacity.

Some people were taken to other Swiss hospitals with specialist burns units.

Spokespersons told the BBC that over 30 patients were treated for burns at both Lausanne University Hospital and Zurich University Hospital.

The intense blaze could have caused internal burns due to the toxic smoke, stated Robert Larribau, a doctor interviewed by the BBC.

The victims at Geneva University Hospital were reportedly treated for "third degree burns" and were "very young... between 15 and 25 years old", quoted Larribau.

Authorities struggle to identify bodies

Switzerland will hold five days of mourning as authorities scramble to identify the bodies, stated The Guardian.

Swiss police stated that it could take weeks to ascertain names. The region's chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud said that their main goal was to "identify victims and return their bodies to the families as soon as possible".

The precise number of dead and injured is not yet known, nor are their nationalities.

However, officials have confirmed that several nationalities were involved, including Italian and French nationals, stated the BBC.

Investigations are ongoing.

Top photo from Reuters.