The "Le Constellation" bar, ravaged by fire in Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve, resulting in 40 deaths and 116 injuries, had not been inspected since 2020. "Periodic inspections were not carried out between 2020 and 2025," confirmed Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Féraud. "The municipal administration became aware of this situation by consulting the documents submitted to the public prosecutor. The municipal administration deeply regrets this." Féraud clarified that the regulations, however, "do not mention quality control of materials," such as the flammable sound-absorbing foam from which the fire allegedly spread.
Furthermore, with renovations planned for the coming months, the Constellation tragedy could have been even more devastating. According to Swiss news outlet RTS, on December 19th, less than two weeks before the fire, the venue's managers, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, had applied for a further expansion . Among the changes was the removal of a side exit from the covered terrace. This closure, in the event of the January 1st fire, would have prevented even more people from quickly escaping. The renovations carried out in 2015, detailed in the building permit requested for the new expansion, are also being scrutinized.
The bar's internal door measures one and a half meters, "with a non-compliant opening," according to Swiss television, as it should open in the direction of escape, not inward. The same is true for the veranda door. Another issue concerns the permit for the work done ten years ago. The sound-absorbing foam that started the New Year's Eve fire was apparently installed at that time. Its flammability was apparently already known, as demonstrated in a January 1, 2020, video released by Swiss media. "Watch out for the foam! Watch out for the foam!" the bartender shouted at the young women who were lifting bottles of alcohol with the now-familiar fireworks.
The installation of this material—again, according to Swiss television—was not covered by the building permit requested in 2015 by a Crans-Montana resident who owned the walls, not the Morettis. According to RTS, the application was submitted three months after a small excavator arrived on site. In addition to the soundproofing foam, the work involved modifying the terrace and narrowing the basement staircase. These are questions that Attorney General Pilloud is attempting to answer.
After explaining that there are no time limits for detaining the Morettis, both of whom are under investigation—specifically, there's no risk of them fleeing—Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado addressed the issue yesterday. The managers "would be arrested in Italy," but in Switzerland "there are different procedures," he explained at the Sion cemetery. "The families of the victims are demanding justice," he added after accompanying the close relatives of the five deceased who were repatriated to the C-130 that took off for Linate. In any case, "the Swiss authorities have assured me of their full cooperation," he emphasized after meeting with the heads of the Valais cantonal government. However, the investigation is only just beginning: it will take "an enormous amount of time. This is real life, not a 45-minute TV series," Pilloud emphasized.
Meanwhile, the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, will likely be in Switzerland next Friday to attend the ceremony organized by the federal president to remember the victims of the accident, according to diplomatic sources. The Swiss Confederation has invited the heads of state and government of the countries affected by the Crans-Montana tragedy to attend the day of mourning on January 9th, which "will deliberately have an international dimension."
(Unioneonline)