Fire safety inspections hadn’t been carried out for several years at the bar where a fire that broke out at a New Year’s party left 40 people dead and over 100 injured, local authorities said Tuesday.
Investigators have said they believe festive sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire at Le Constellation in the resort town of Crans-Montana when they came too close to the ceiling.
Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar.
Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the bar managers. The two are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire, according to the Valais region’s chief prosecutor.
Regional authorities have said that safety inspections were the responsibility of the municipality. On Tuesday, the head of Crans-Montana’s municipal government, Nicolas Féraud, said that there had been inspections of Le Constellation up to 2019.
People gather around a makeshift memorial to pay their respects by laying flowers, candles and messages near Le Constellation bar Sunday.Maxime Schmid / AFP via Getty Images
But he told a news conference the local council discovered after consulting documents after the fire that “periodic checks were not carried out between 2020 and 2025.”
“We regret this bitterly,” he said, adding that it will be up to judicial authorities to determine what influence that may have had on the chain of events that led to the fire.
Féraud said he couldn’t immediately explain why safety inspections hadn’t been conducted for such a long time.
He said that, in September last year, an external expert had been asked to carry out a soundproofing analysis and had concluded that the bar complied with anti-noise rules, without making further remarks.
Police officers carry a coffin with the body of one of six Italians at the military airport in Sion, Switzerland, on Monday, following a devastating fire in a bar in Crans-Montana during New Year’s celebrations.Antonio Calanni / AP
The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims of the fire that broke out at about 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples.
Investigators finished identifying the 40 dead on Sunday and said on Monday that they had identified all 116 people who were injured.
News
SHOCKING: Investigators are now questioning whether the individuals linked to Dezi Freeman had a longer-term plan — and if all of it has come to light… 👇👇
A new wave of concern has followed reports that individuals possibly connected to Dezi Freeman have been identified—some of whom may have had detailed knowledge of the terrain where key events unfolded. While the development suggests the case may involve more than one person, officials are emphasizing that much of the information remains under investigation […]
“Sir… I’m still a virgin… I’ve never been with any man in my life…” but the man’s reaction afterward changed her life forever.
The room was too quiet. Not the peaceful kind of quiet. The kind that makes every small sound feel louder than it should be—her breath, the faint ticking of the clock on the wall, the soft rustle of her own hands as she twisted them together. Lena Harper had never imagined her life would lead […]
He Paid $135 for a Forgotten House—Then His Dog Found the Hidden Room Everyone in Town Feared
My name is Caleb Mercer, and the first home I ever truly owned cost less than a pair of work boots.One hundred and thirty-five dollars.That was the winning bid I made on a broken-down house at the Beckett County tax auction on a gray Thursday morning in West Virginia, while three men in camouflage hats […]
The Husband Burned Her Dress to Stop Her from Going to the Party – She Arrived in a Way He Never Saw Coming
My name is Rebecca Hayes, and the night my husband destroyed my dress, I finally stopped lying to myself about who he was. We lived in Raleigh, North Carolina, in a house that looked perfect from the outside—clean lines, soft lighting, carefully chosen furniture, the kind of place people complimented before they even stepped inside. […]
The old man had buried a wooden crate in the desert five years ago — then one day, when they dug it up, he and the villagers were shocked to discover it.
The desert outside Arroyo Bend didn’t change much. Wind came and went. Sand shifted. Time passed quietly, without asking permission. But five years ago, something had been placed beneath it. And nothing that gets buried in the desert ever truly disappears. “Right there,” the old man said. His voice trembled—not from weakness, but from something […]
DEVELOPING: The person who allegedly helped Dezi Freeman hide may have done more than provide shelter — authorities are now looking into a wider role… 👇👇
Authorities say they have identified a person believed to have assisted Dezi Freeman during a months-long period of concealment in a forested area. The development is significant—but officials are urging caution as details are still being verified and no full profile has been publicly released. What Police Have Confirmed Investigators indicate the individual: Had regular […]
End of content
No more pages to load
