Five victims of the deadly fire that broke out at a New Year’s party in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana have been hospitalized at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), a spokesperson told CNN.
The patients being treated by the various hospitals are mostly aged between 15 and 30, and most have “extremely serious injuries” due to their exposure to the fire, Dr. Robert Larribau, the head of the emergency services at the HUG, said in a statement to CNN.
As investigators look into whether a “flashover” or “backdraft” caused the fire to spread so rapidly, Larribau said many of the patients appear to have injuries typical to the flashover phenomenon.
“At this stage, it is difficult to give a precise prognosis for the patients who were victims of the Crans-Montana fire, but for those who survive, there will be weeks or even months of rehabilitation, and many will suffer lifelong consequences,” Larribau said.
The combined phenomena of a flashover and backdraft would cause “very severe burns mainly on exposed areas, burns to the airways from inhaling heat, and delayed respiratory damage such as acute respiratory distress syndrome from smoke soot that has penetrated deep into the lungs,” Larribau said.
The force of the backdraft could also cause internal injuries such as fractures, the doctor added.
Remember: A flashover occurs when hot gases rise to the ceiling and spread across the walls, according to the US-based National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
The heat intensifies until all combustible items in the room reach their ignition point and catch fire. Temperatures can rapidly soar to as high as 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning even firefighters in full protective gear are unlikely to survive, the NFPA says.
A backdraft is an explosion that occurs when oxygen is introduced into a room full of hot gases, according to the NFPA.
As the fire consumes all the oxygen in an enclosed room, hot gases spread and intensify. If an opening is made to admit oxygen, a rolling fireball is created as the hot vaporized fuel bursts into flames, and the pressurized gases explode through the opening.