A devastating fire at a Swiss ski resort bar on New Year's Day resulted in 40 deaths and over 119 injuries, primarily among young people from various European nations. Investigations indicate the blaze was ignited by sparklers on champagne bottles held too close to the ceiling, which likely contained highly combustible foam or acoustic insulation. Professor Edwin Galea, a fire safety expert from the University of Greenwich, highlights critical safety failures, including the dangerous indoor use of pyrotechnics, potential overcrowding, and inadequate emergency exits—noting that a single 1.5-meter door was the only escape route for hundreds of people. While authorities evaluate the criminal liability of the bar's French managers, forensic analysis of social media imagery confirms the presence of sparklers near the ceiling just before the fire. Survivors describe a chaotic scene of total darkness and suffocation as they struggled to break through plexiglass windows to escape the rapidly spreading flames.
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