Many of those killed and injured by a fire that tore through a bar in Switzerland's Crans-Montana ski resort were teenagers celebrating the new year.

Officials: Many more injured, death toll could rise. Investigators say they don’t believe the incident was an attack.

"Somebody was dying in front of me and I couldn’t do anything," one eyewitness recalled, describing seeing people disfigured and burning.

Investigators say they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire at a Swiss ski resort when they came too close to the ceiling of a bar crowded with New Year's Eve revelers. Forty people were killed and another 119 injured.

Sparklers attached to champagne bottles were carried too close to the ceiling, officials said. Dozens of injured revelers were transferred to specialist burn units across Europe as they fought for their lives.

Videos and photos have begun to emerge showing the moments before the blaze tore through the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana during a New Year's party.

A witness who was inside the bar at the Switzerland resort on New Year’s told Reuters he and his friends yelled, “Fire!” and didn’t realize how serious it was at first.

Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in several dozen injured people, said those with severe burns face months of treatment but expressed hope that their youth will speed their recovery.