Switzerland - 40 dead and 116 injured in fire in bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss ski resort, 1 January 2026

[detective.moon]

“Beware of the foam!”

The foam on the ceiling of the Le Constellation bar is a particular focus of the investigations into the fire safety concept. Now, a video recording from the bar on New Year's Eve 2019/2020 shows that the danger posed by the foam was already known six years ago. The video is available to RTS.

“Beware of the foam!” warns an employee of “Le Constellation” to the guests in the video. They had just ordered bottles to toast with – including the sparklers attached to them, which are now believed to have caused the fire disaster.

The creator of the video and former regular at the bar spoke to RTS. “I remember we were very close to the ceiling,” he says. That's why the waiter warned them about the foam. “I think he recognized the danger as an adult,” says the creator of the video.

Silvester-Drama: Tote und Schwerverletzte in Crans-Montana

Beim Brand in Crans-Montana kamen 40 Menschen ums Leben, 116 wurden verletzt. Das Feuer in der Bar «Le Constellation» wurde von Champagner-Wunderkerzen ausgelöst. Mittlerweile sind alle Brandopfer identifiziert. Blick berichtet im Ticker über die neusten Erkenntnisse.

www.blick.ch

 

[Charlot123]

Exactly

Till I turned 18
I was strictly supervised by my parents as I was legally a minor and under their care.
Going to clubs at night and drinking alcohol was something I couldn't even imagine doing.

I am disgusted that teens were served alcohol there,
making it normal and presenting as attractive and exciting (sparkles and all).

Kids should be protected!

In my country selling alcohol to minors is prohibited by Law.

Violating the ban on selling alcohol to minors is taken very seriously by Polish Law.

This is primarily due to concerns about the health and development of young people,
who are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol consumption.

Furthermore,
selling alcohol to minors can contribute to the spread of social problems,
such as crime and alcoholism among young people.

#Upbriging In Sobriety!!!

JMO

I have been to France where drinking is not interesting, but in Italy, I saw kids of six drinking wine. And yet they have fewer problems with alcoholism than Slavic or Baltic countries do. French would say they have problems with alcoholism, but…not in my opinion.

Either different genes or a totally different culture of using wine at play.

It does not imply that the Morettis were right. A 14- or a 15-year old had no business being in the bar at all. In the US or Canada, if they allow kids of such age to attend restaurants with parents, they can’t be seated with the bar in view.

 

[Rikissa]

I have been to France where drinking is not interesting, but in Italy, I saw kids of six drinking wine. And yet they have fewer problems with alcoholism than Slavic or Baltic countries do. French would say they have problems with alcoholism, but…not in my opinion.

Either different genes or a totally different culture of using wine at play.

The difference between the Slavic, Baltic, and Nordic (except Denmark) countries and countries like Italy, France and other countries in the south, and center, of Europe are that in the countries in the first group the 'favourite' alcoholic beverage is hard liquor (vodka, Absolut), and it's often drunk in large quantities in a short time, and sometimes when alone (often weekend binge drinking). In countries where wine and/or beer is the 'favourite' beverage the drinking of alcohol is spread out over the week, maybe as a part of a meal, and during a longer period of time.
There is a difference between drinking 75 cl of vodka (40% alcohol) and to drink 75 cl wine (12-14% alcohol) in, say one hour.

 

[Dotta]

"Pressure mounts for answers ​

over Swiss bar fire after victims identified.​

On Monday,
Swiss newspaper Blick said anger over the case was growing.

'Why are the couple running the bar free?'
the paper said on its front page,
pasted over a photo of mourners and media gathered around the huge pile of flowers left in front of the Le Constellation bar.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said in a social media post that
'in civilized Switzerland,
the prison gates will have to open for quite a few people'.

Salvini said there had been a failure to ensure the bar's basement was safe,
questioning the emergency systems and whether there had been enough inspections.

The municipality of Crans-Montana said it has handed prosecutors documents relevant to the investigation
and had joined the criminal proceedings as a civil party.
'This will allow (the municipality) to actively contribute to establishing all the facts', it said.

Crans-Montana will on Friday hold a ceremony honouring the victims.

The French government said that President Emmanuel Macron would attend."

Pressure mounts for answers over Swiss bar fire after victims identified

The Alpine getaway of Crans-Montana in the canton of Valais united in mourning with condolences coming in from leaders ranging from Pope Leo to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

www.reuters.com

 

[Charlot123]

The difference between the Slavic, Baltic, and Nordic (except Denmark) countries and countries like Italy, France and other countries in the south, and center, of Europe are that in the countries in the first group the 'favourite' alcoholic beverage is hard liquor (vodka, Absolut), and it's often drunk in large quantities in a short time, and sometimes when alone (often weekend binge drinking). In countries where wine and/or beer is the 'favourite' beverage the drinking of alcohol is spread out over the week, maybe as a part of a meal, and during a longer period of time.
There is a difference between drinking 75 cl of vodka (40% alcohol) and to drink 75 cl wine (12-14% alcohol) in, say one hour.

Thank you, @Rikissa, I grew up in one of the drinking countries. I would agree with the “culture of drinking” (although “vino locale” is unbelievably bad), but there have been some studies about genetics, too. Anyhow, in cold places, the risk to become alcoholics is higher, while it warmer places, it is less but the risk to use other drugs is higher.

 

[Dotta]

DBM

 

[Herat]

I'm beginning to feel as thought the owners of Le Constellation will get a slap on the wrist kind of legal sentence, as they are popular in the area and own two other prestigious restaurants in the community.

I'm also feeling that the local authorities are trying to find some scapegoat to fix blame on to avoid exposing very lax standards of inspection and safety enforcement that have been going on for a decade.

 

[Dotta]

I'm beginning to feel as thought the owners of Le Constellation will get a slap on the wrist kind of legal sentence, as they are popular in the area and own two other prestigious restaurants in the community.

I'm also feeling that the local authorities are trying to find some scapegoat to fix blame on to avoid exposing very lax standards of inspection and safety enforcement that have been going on for a decade.

But such frivolous attitude can be shooting itself in the foot for this country.
Country which relies heavily on tourism, no?
Black PR is not good for tourist leaflets and ads.



JMO

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I'm beginning to feel as thought the owners of Le Constellation will get a slap on the wrist kind of legal sentence, as they are popular in the area and own two other prestigious restaurants in the community.

I'm also feeling that the local authorities are trying to find some scapegoat to fix blame on to avoid exposing very lax standards of inspection and safety enforcement that have been going on for a decade.

I really really hope you're wrong, but I think everyone should read your post twice and fight for real justice for the victims and their families, because I'm afraid you're right.

 

[Charlot123]

I'm beginning to feel as thought the owners of Le Constellation will get a slap on the wrist kind of legal sentence, as they are popular in the area and own two other prestigious restaurants in the community.

I'm also feeling that the local authorities are trying to find some scapegoat to fix blame on to avoid exposing very lax standards of inspection and safety enforcement that have been going on for a decade.

On the one hand, any country is welcoming to immigrants creating the workplaces. This is what it is about: they give jobs to locals. This is why they are popular.

On the other hand, when a citizen of another country is applying for the license to open a business, there has to be a strict background check performed. The information about Jacques Moretti is in NY Post today.

Owner of Swiss nightclub where deadly fire broke out was ‘known pimp’ who did time for fraud, kidnapping

One of the owners of the Swiss ski bar where 40 New Year’s Eve revelers were killed in a horrifying fire had an extensive criminal history dating back more than 20 years and even served time …

nypost.com

It all comes from “Le Parisienne”. These are serious crimes.

So either no one in Switzerland performed any background checks, or worse.

I think because it is an international case, and there were obvious violations on all levels, they can’t shove it under the rug. Some aspects of the case may be federal now.

 

[Dotta]

On the one hand, any country is welcoming to immigrants creating the workplaces. This is what it is about: they give jobs to locals. This is why they are popular.

On the other hand, when a citizen of another country is applying for the license to open a business, there has to be a strict background check performed. The information about Jacques Moretti is in NY Post today.

Owner of Swiss nightclub where deadly fire broke out was ‘known pimp’ who did time for fraud, kidnapping

One of the owners of the Swiss ski bar where 40 New Year’s Eve revelers were killed in a horrifying fire had an extensive criminal history dating back more than 20 years and even served time …

nypost.com

It all comes from “Le Parisienne”. These are serious crimes.

So either no one in Switzerland performed any background checks, or worse.

I think because it is an international case, and there were obvious violations on all levels, they can’t shove it under the rug. Some aspects of the case may be federal now.

Not to mention civil lawsuits against the owners and the municipality, no?

If they have to pay huge compensations,
maybe they will come to their senses.

Nothing sends message better than money
one has to pay as compensatory damages.

Although the loss of Good Reputation is incalculable.
And sometimes irreparable.

JMO

 

[Charlot123]

Not to mention civil lawsuits against the owners and the municipality, no?

If they have to pay huge compensations,
maybe they will come to their senses.
Nothing sends message better than money.

JMO

Well, first, it is horrible publicity for all Swiss “hospitality industry”.

I suspect Switzerland wants to make it “a local case” because then it becomes “Crans-Montana, you know”, one French-speaking canton, and not “Swiss Alps”. Although if one looks, it is pretty close to German Switzerland too. So to localize it and make “the municipality” makes sense for the country.

In real life, there are lots of questions starting with the misuse of the place. You know, the fire extinguishers are OK for the lounge for 50 people. Over that, 51, and the rules change: smoke detectors, fire alarm, second exit that can be seen in the darkness (I read that the electricity went out…go get out of the fire when it is dark). So the bar to have lighted markers pointing at all the exits. Sprinklers are necessary, too.

These rules can’t be bent from one canton to the other one.

Then comes the issue of residency of the Morettis. I know people who worked in international organizations and get some odd “world residency” when they retire. They live in Switzerland, but obtaining citizenship is horribly difficult. And Morettis have French and Portuguese one.

Yet they lived in Switzerland since 2000es and Jacques did term in Savoie prison in 2005. It means, the municipality could not have been unaware of it. The Morettis bought the cafe in 2015, but they were a local fixture earlier.

They have lawyers. I hope that the parents who are now devastated and maybe distracted otherwise have lawyers, too.

 

[Herat]

I really really hope you're wrong, but I think everyone should read your post twice and fight for real justice for the victims and their families, because I'm afraid you're right.

I imagine there are several hundred of bars in Switzerland that have the same deadly hazardous conditions that are also only very superficially inspected for health and safety conditions. Each canton has it's own rules about these issues, evidently. This just seems like there are other highly dangerous places that get away with the danger because they are "historical" or "too-expensive" to comply with modern safety standards.

The Italians seem very angry about the deaths of their citizens in this fire:

"Those kids were abandoned, says Italian ambassador about Swiss fire

Gian Lorenzo Cornado blames ‘poor fire safety regulations’ as the bodies of Italian victims are returned to Italy"

When the fire brigade got there it was already out,” he said.

Enrico Giarda, a Milan-based lawyer, said he expected compensation claims by families of victims to run to “millions” of euros and said safety inspectors who approved the safety measures at Le Constellation could face prosecution alongside the owners.

Cornardo said that the Swiss authorities had told him that inspectors were among those being questioned by police. The families of victims “want justice”, he added.

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/switzerland-bar-fire-news-compensation-8bkjxvt3m

 

[Sjöberg]

While I am very interested to see, if and what safety regulations were ignored, I also feel like it was also the perfect storm, with so many different factors contributing to the final event.

* Had no-one thought it harmless to lift the burning sparkle candle right up to the ceiling, we would not be here. (and different factors contributed to this poor decision)
* Had a more fireproof ceiling finishing layer been used, we would not be here. (and different factors contributed to this poor decision)
* Had someone actually quickly used a fire extinguisher on the initial fire, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)
* Had the bar not been on the basement floor or an old building, with a narrow exit, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)
* Had the guests not been mostly drunk mostly teens and young adults celebrating the New Year's Eve, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)
* Had the evacuation been quicker and more organized, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)

So many things went wrong. Some people will make the girl that started the fire the "at fault". Some people will make the boy that asked her to climb on her shoulders the "at fault". Some will make the local cantons fire safety rules "at fault". Some will make the owners "at fault". Some will make the bar manager "at fault". Some will make the staff member who initally had the idea to use the darn sparklers "at fault". Some will make the sparkle company "at fault". But IMO, they all had a part. Of course, some had a lager part, some had a smaller part. And some had more responsibility, some had less of that. I am not trying to quanitify the blame here, there will be an investigation for that - I am just (poorly) trying to express, that had any of the darn details been different, so many of the kids could be alive and well. Annoying their parents with poor music and outfit choices, like they should.

 

[Dotta]

While I am very interested to see, if and what safety regulations were ignored, I also feel like it was also the perfect storm, with so many different factors contributing to the final event.

* Had no-one thought it harmless to lift the burning sparkle candle right up to the ceiling, we would not be here. (and different factors contributed to this poor decision)
* Had a more fireproof ceiling finishing layer been used, we would not be here. (and different factors contributed to this poor decision)
* Had someone actually quickly used a fire extinguisher on the initial fire, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)
* Had the bar not been on the basement floor or an old building, with a narrow exit, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)
* Had the guests not been mostly drunk mostly teens and young adults celebrating the New Year's Eve, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)
* Had the evacuation been quicker and more organized, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)

So many things went wrong. Some people will make the girl that started the fire the "at fault". Some people will make the boy that asked her to climb on her shoulders the "at fault". Some will make the local cantons fire safety rules "at fault". Some will make the owners "at fault". Some will make the bar manager "at fault". Some will make the staff member who initally had the idea to use the darn sparklers "at fault". Some will make the sparkle company "at fault". But IMO, they all had a part. Of course, some had a lager part, some had a smaller part. And some had more responsibility, some had less of that. I am not trying to quanitify the blame here, there will be an investigation for that - I am just (poorly) trying to express, that had any of the darn details been different, so many of the kids could be alive and well. Annoying their parents with poor music and outfit choices, like they should.

It would have happened sooner or later.

It was a death trap waiting to kill.

JMO

 

[mickey2942]

It would have happened sooner or later.

It was a death trap waiting to kill.

JMO

There are SO many places just like that. It goes on, until there is an accident.

The real issue to me, are those deadly "bottle candles", sparklers, whatever they are, those should never be used inside.

 

[Sjöberg]

It would have happened sooner or later.

It was a death trap waiting to kill.

JMO

Yes, not arguing with this, either. And not trying to say the situation was harmless.
Just being sad at how many aspects lined up horribly to end up with this death count. And I'm just afraid the legal outcome might not be so very different to causing 1 vs 50 deaths due to negligence.

 

[Dotta]

"Grief and unanswered questions
surround Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana.

Swiss authorities announced on Sunday
that the identification of all the bodies had been completed.

Half of the victims were minors.

The youngest were two 14-year-olds,
and the rest were aged between 15 and 17.

The Le Constellation bar was known for being frequented by many people under the age of 18.

Among those already identified
is a friend of Fabien M., a local resident.

The deceased was the only security guard present at the establishment that night:

'He was working to ensure the safety of those young people,
so he went in to help them escape when the fire started.
He lost his life trying to get them out',
he said through tears.

In official statements made in recent days,
authorities have released information sparingly.

Witness statements indicate that the bar’s security was inadequate.
They describe it as a cramped place.

The owners have two other establishments in the area.
There is silence when young people who frequented the bar or owners of other bars in the area are asked about them:
no one knew them,
or they know little more than what the press has reported.

A national day of mourning will be observed across the country on January 9,
but a large memorial service was held on Sunday at the church in Crans-Montana to honor the victims.
The chapel was packed,
so loudspeakers were set up outside.

Rescue teams, police officers, and firefighters who had been on duty that night were present,
as well as many young men,
some with bandages or using crutches,
weeping and embracing their families.

The survivors."

Grief and unanswered questions surround Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana after fire that left 40 dead

The investigation is focused on the owners of the damaged premises, while all the victims have now been identified

english.elpais.com

 

[Herat]

While I am very interested to see, if and what safety regulations were ignored, I also feel like it was also the perfect storm, with so many different factors contributing to the final event.

* Had no-one thought it harmless to lift the burning sparkle candle right up to the ceiling, we would not be here. (and different factors contributed to this poor decision)
* Had a more fireproof ceiling finishing layer been used, we would not be here. (and different factors contributed to this poor decision)
* Had someone actually quickly used a fire extinguisher on the initial fire, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)
* Had the bar not been on the basement floor or an old building, with a narrow exit, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)
* Had the guests not been mostly drunk mostly teens and young adults celebrating the New Year's Eve, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)
* Had the evacuation been quicker and more organized, we might not be here. (and different factors contributed to this)

So many things went wrong. Some people will make the girl that started the fire the "at fault". Some people will make the boy that asked her to climb on her shoulders the "at fault". Some will make the local cantons fire safety rules "at fault". Some will make the owners "at fault". Some will make the bar manager "at fault". Some will make the staff member who initally had the idea to use the darn sparklers "at fault". Some will make the sparkle company "at fault". But IMO, they all had a part. Of course, some had a lager part, some had a smaller part. And some had more responsibility, some had less of that. I am not trying to quanitify the blame here, there will be an investigation for that - I am just (poorly) trying to express, that had any of the darn details been different, so many of the kids could be alive and well. Annoying their parents with poor music and outfit choices, like they should.

It's called the Swiss Cheese Model ( the title has nothing to deal with Switzerland).

It's a term used in serious negative event analysis of all kinds: Airplane accidents, train accidents, mechanical failures, healthcare failures.

A lot of little holes of failure all line up and then you have a hole all the way through the cheese.

Swiss cheese model - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Dotta]

"Swiss Protestant Churches
are organizing a prayer,
accompanied by ringing of church bells across Switzerland and the world,
on 9 January,
in the wake of a tragic fire in Crans-Montana.

'We pray for all the families,
from here and elsewhere,
who are living in terrible uncertainty about whether their children are still alive;
who fear that they may be hovering between life and death;
who are separated from them because they are being treated far from home.

Father of heaven and earth,
hear the cry of pain and hope
that rises from each and every one of us'.”

Swiss Protestant Churches invite prayer in wake of tragic fire

Swiss Protestant Churches are organizing a prayer, accompanied by ringing of church bells across Switzerland and the world, on 9 January, in the wake of a tragic fire in Crans-Montana, a ski resort where 40 people died in a New Year’s Day blaze.

www.oikoumene.org