Swiss prosecutor says 'fountain candles' may have started Crans-Montana fire

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Initial investigations indicate that the fire which tore through the basement of a Swiss ski resort bar may have started when 'fountain candles' attached to champagne bottles were held aloft too close to the ceiling, the local prosecutor said on Friday.

Swiss officials put the death toll at 40 with more than 100 injured. Investigators are combing through the ruins of the bar, examining video recordings and interviewing survivors in the hunt for clues on how the fire broke out.

Several witnesses have recounted seeing bar staff holding up sparkling fountain candles attached to bottles of champagne. Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said the fountain candles were a leading line of enquiry that looked to be firming up.

"Everything suggests that the fire started from the burning candles or 'Bengal lights' that had been attached to champagne bottles. These went too close to the ceiling," she told a news conference. "From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread conflagration ensued."

Investigators have questioned the bar's two owners, a French couple who bought the bar in 2015 according to the local canton's company registry.

The probe will focus on previous renovations to the bar and the materials used, the availability of adequate fire extinguishing systems and escape routes, as well as the number of people who were in the bar when the fire started.

Pilloud said further investigations would determine whether there were grounds for criminal liability.

"If this is indeed the case and these individuals are still alive, an investigation will be opened against them for negligent arson, negligent homicide, and negligent bodily injury," the prosecutor added.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Richard Lough)