Switzerland, witnesses: “Fire caused by candles on champagne bottles”

Rome, Jan. 1 (LaPresse) – Emma and Albane, two young French women involved in the New Year’s Eve fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, told BfmTv that the blaze started from some birthday candles lit by waiters on champagne bottles shortly before midnight. “One was brought too close to the ceiling, which caught fire. Within seconds, everything was ablaze; the ceiling was made of wood,” they said. “The exit door was too small for all the people present. Someone broke a window to allow people to escape,” they added, explaining that emergency services arrived “within a few minutes.”