Swiss resort missed yearly inspections before deadly Le Constellation bar fire

Local officials in Crans-Montana acknowledged they failed to carry out mandated yearly safety inspections between 2020 and 2025 at Le Constellation, the bar in the Swiss Alps where a fire killed 40 people and injured more than 100 during New Year’s celebrations. “We bitterly regret this,” Mayor Nicolas Féraud said, adding that “the justice system will determine the extent to which this failure influenced the chain of events leading to the tragedy.” Féraud said the last inspection had been in May 2019 and that prior inspections in 2016 and 2018 had flagged no major issues; minor matters, including the installation of an “anti-panic handle,” were addressed.

The bar’s owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are under criminal investigation; in brief interviews they denied wrongdoing and said they were cooperating, though they have not responded to multiple requests for comment. Investigators believe indoor pyrotechnic sparklers ignited foam insulation in the bar’s basement.

Witness accounts, social media pictures and a 2019 video published by Swiss broadcaster RTS show sparklers being used indoors and a ceiling covered in flammable foam; in the video someone says, “Watch out for the foam!” Reports also cite a lack of accessible emergency exits that turned a narrow staircase into a choke point.

Crans-Montana has banned indoor pyrotechnic devices and commissioned an external firm to “immediately” inspect public establishments.

Key Topics

World, Le Constellation, Crans-montana, Nicolas Féraud, Jacques Moretti, Pyrotechnic Sparklers