MILAN, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Courmayeur, an exclusive Italian ski resort at the foot of Mont Blanc, has banned the use of sparklers and other naked flame items in closed spaces following the deadly blaze in a bar in Switzerland’s Crans-Montana.
The Crans-Montana fire on New Year’s Eve killed 40 people, most of them teenagers, including six Italians, and injured 116. Authorities believe it was caused by “fountain candle” sparklers carried too close to the ceiling.
Courmayeur’s town hall said in a statement on Tuesday that the ban would apply to “open flames and pyrotechnic items in all enclosed spaces, in particular in public venues”.
Italian local authorities have intensified inspections of nightclubs and other public venues since the Crans-Montana catastrophe, checking capacity limits, emergency exits and fire safety measures.
Several clubs and discotheques have been closed in Rome this month following safety inspections, including Piper, one of the capital’s most popular and historic venues which rose to fame during the 1960s.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said her government is considering introducing a nationwide ban on the use of sparklers indoors. Several Swiss cantons have banned the sparklers since the Crans-Montana disaster.
Courmayeur Mayor Roberto Rota said the resort’s ban was “necessary and urgent” due to the widespread use of open flames in public venues during celebrations.
Francesco Lenzi, a 20-year-old ski enthusiast from Milan, said more cities should follow Courmayeur’s example.
“I have often witnessed the use of flaming objects in bars and discos in Courmayeur and elsewhere,” he told Reuters.
(Reporting by Cristina Carlevaro; editing by Gavin Jones and Mark Heinrich)
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