Cell phone evaluations

Is this the moment the disaster began?

Following the fire disaster in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, initial information on the cause is now available.(Bild: Screenshot X)

After the devastating fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, more and more details are gradually becoming known - and speculation is being voiced: Sparklers could have set fire to the noise protection material on the ceiling of the bar, for example. This then led to an explosion, according to the Attorney General of the Canton of Valais.

Footage that was circulated on social media and elsewhere shows people celebrating with sparklers on champagne bottles. In this way, the noise protection material on the ceiling in the cellar of the "Le Constellation" bar could have caught fire. The cantonal government speaks of a "flashover", a fire phenomenon that one expert compares to a kind of fire roller. This is caused by enormous heat, which decomposes combustible material in such a way that it forms certain gases and catches fire in a matter of seconds, even without contact with flames. It is almost impossible to survive without protective clothing, said fire safety expert Sandra Barz.

Following the fire disaster in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, initial information on the cause is now available.(Bild: Screenshot X)

"Our main hypothesis is that the entire room caught fire, which led to an explosion," said the Attorney General of the Canton of Valais, Beatrice Pilloud. It is still unclear whether it was actually candles or fireworks that started the fire. She still wants to evaluate cell phones that were seized at the scene of the accident. According to media reports, it was not the ceiling itself that started to burn, but the acoustic insulation. One of the many accusations is that cheap material was used. Good acoustic foam hardly burns at all.

Here you can see a picture of people celebrating with sparklers:

Lax safety regulations?
"I'm surprised it went on for so long before something happened. People were smoking inside. You could do whatever you wanted. It seemed to me that the operators kept turning a blind eye," said eyewitness Laurent (30). The fire protection had been "lousy" for some time, he told the Swiss newspaper Blick.

The restaurant in the basement became a death trap.(Bild: Diverse Fotografen honorarfrei)

As reported, the fire broke out in the bar "Le Constellation" in Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve. At least 47 people died and 80 to 100 injured people are still in mortal danger. This could make the terrible situation even worse. People with third-degree burns on around 15 percent of their body surface have an increased risk of dying in the hours and days following the accident, said Stéphane Ganzer, Valais Director of Security, on Friday. The situation in Swiss hospitals is clearly tense. French specialists for serious burn injuries could come to the canton.

Other countries are treating the injured
Some countries, such as France and Poland, have already taken in injured people, including two French nationals. "The Ministry of Health has made 19 beds available, 15 for adults and four for children, to accommodate injured people at the request of the Swiss authorities," said a spokesperson for the Swiss Ministry of Health. Austrians were not among the fatalities or injured. Many of the injured are between 16 and 26 years old.