What we know about the Swiss ski resort fire in Crans Montana

Details are beginning to emerge about the fire that eruopted at the Constellation Bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on New Year's Day.

It was the moment New Year’s revelry turned into catastrophe.

A photo shows partygoers hoisting wine bottles fitted with sparklers, yet even as they toast the occasion flames are already visible on the foam soundproofing lining the low ceiling of the bar at the upscale Alpine ski resort.

The fire, which broke out around 1:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday) at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland and left 40 dead, appears to have started when sparklers atop bottles were brought too close to the ceiling, Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais canton Attorney General, told a news conference Friday after preliminary investigations.

The sparklers appear to have led to “what is referred to as a flashover incident where the fire spread very rapidly,” she said. Investigators would assess soundproofing foam used in the ceiling, and whether anyone needs to be held criminally liable for the fire, she added.

On Friday, officials set about the painful task of identifying the dozens of charred bodies left by the fire, while emerging images and eyewitnesses gave an indication of the horrific scene that unfolded.