The canton of Valais, where the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana is located, considers the most plausible theory to be that the New Year's Eve fire in a bar started Bengalas, or flares, placed in champagne bottles. This was announced today by the canton's Attorney General, Beatrice Pilloud. These pyrotechnics “got too close to the ceiling, which ignited very quickly and extensively,” she stated at a press conference. The prosecutor explained that this theory, while not 100% definitive, is being investigated after analyzing videos from mobile phones of people inside the burning establishment, as well as testimonies from survivors and the questioning of the bar's two managers. Both managers explained the interior layout of the venue, the work done there, and its capacity, which was not specified by the prosecutor. However, she noted that it will be very difficult to determine the exact number of people in the bar when the fire broke out, as it is a place where people are constantly coming and going. The bar managers have given testimony as witnesses, and it will depend on the outcome of the investigation whether they retain this status or a criminal investigation is opened against them. The bar's ceiling was made of acoustic foam, a highly flammable material, which is why the flames spread so rapidly. It will now be investigated whether this complied with current regulations. Regarding the injured, the commander of the Valais cantonal police, Frederic Gisler, said there are 119, not 115 as previously reported. The four additional cases are people who came forward to hospitals on their own after realizing that injuries they thought were minor from the fire are actually more serious than they appeared. Of the injured, 71 are Swiss, 14 are French, 11 are Italian, 4 are Serbian, and one each from Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, and Portugal, while the nationality of the rest is still unknown. Furthermore, of the 119, 113 have been fully identified, and the other six are still being investigated. The cantonal authorities indicated that “the process of identifying the bodies continues without rest” and that for this purpose, forty experts from across the country have been mobilized. “But the standard international protocol takes time,” they noted.
