Champagne sparklers likely started Swiss bar fire, officials say

Investigators say sparklers placed in champagne bottles were held too close to the ceiling and may have ignited soundproofing foam, triggering a fast-moving fire that killed at least 40 people and injured 119 others. Survivors described chaos and panic as flames spread rapidly through the crowded bar at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps. More than half of those killed in the blaze were teenagers, two of them only 14 years old.

Class discussion: Soundproofing foam, sparklers, and pyrotechnics have been blamed in many fires, including one that killed 242 people in 2013. Should those items be banned inside buildings? The stairs out of the basement bar in Switzerland were narrow. Do you look for a safe way out of a crowded space? How should the bar owners be punished? Should parents know where their children are going? Do you always tell your parents about your plans?