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

[Deleted member 212413]

I don't expect fire drills in bars. I do expect young people to go through fire drills at school to learn to get out very quickly once they see a flame spreading. If people want to sue the bar because it was a fire trap, had blocked exits, and a very careless employee they have a case. If I were the defense I would play the video where people were standing, watching the blaze instead of getting the heck out of there like we learn to do in Grade 1 already.

I would expect fire drills at any establishment. They could be done during closed hours. There should be safety protocols in place in Switzerland and regular check in's of these protocols.

 

[Herat]

I don't expect fire drills in bars. I do expect young people to go through fire drills at school to learn to get out very quickly once they see a flame spreading. If people want to sue the bar because it was a fire trap, had blocked exits, and a very careless employee they have a case. If I were the defense I would play the video where people were standing, watching the blaze instead of getting the heck out of there like we learn to do in Grade 1 already.

I would expect that the managers, supervisors, and employees of the bar have regular and valid fire safety evaluations and that there would be someone responsible for checking to see emergency exits and egress is unimpeded before opening every day.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2010155390294540294

"Fraud squad investigators
have raided the 'property empire' of the multi-millionaire couple
who own the Swiss bar in which 40 people burned to death while celebrating the New Year.

Officers confiscated
'documents, computers, and other crucial evidence'
as Jacques and Jessica Moretti were questioned by prosecutors."

 

[Deleted member 212413]

I would expect that the managers, supervisors, and employees of the bar have regular and valid fire safety evaluations and that there would be someone responsible for checking to see emergency exits and egress is unimpeded before opening every day.

Absolutely!!

 

[CalliopeMuse]

(CM: 1st para snipped by me.)

Regarding the presence of numerous underage kids in the bar at the time of the tragedy, Jacques Moretti said the establishment prohibited anyone under the age of 16 and that customers aged 16 to 18 had to be accompanied by an adult.

He said he had given these 'instructions' to the security staff,
but acknowledged that
'it is possible that there was a lapse in protocol'."

Crans-Montana bar owner says service door was locked during deadly New Year blaze

The owner of the bar where 40 people died at a New Years eve party in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, told police a service door had been locked from the inside during the blaze. Jacques and Jessica Moretti, co-owners…

www.france24.com

According to The Guardian the place was popular with young people because it often did not have a cover charge, making it less expensive for them:

Le Constellation was an institution, a bar that served mainly locals, not tourists. Unlike many other bars and clubs, it often had no cover charge and so attracted young people.

<moo> I'm sure that wasn't an intentional, cynical lure.. </snort> (NB: there's no report on whether they did so that night.)

 

[djanga]

It is all so stragic. Benjamin Johnson also named as another victim

Hero boxer, 18, who died in Swiss bar inferno was the son of a Brit

Benjamin Johnson, 18, was among the 40 victims of the New Year's Eve inferno that tore through the popular Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[djanga]

An interview with one of the survivors 17yo Eliot Thelen

https://www.luxtimes.lu/luxembourg/crans-montana-survivor-eliot-thelen-i-thought-it-was-all-over/121303840.html

Can you still remember the moment when the flames broke out?

Yes. At the time, I wasn‘t in the bar basement, but in the upper area of the club because I wanted to have a drink, catch my breath and sit down for a while. It was quite crowded downstairs that evening. There were a lot more people than usual.
Because I was upstairs, I didn’t notice when the fire broke out.
When did you realise that something was wrong?

More and more people were running up from the basement towards the small door that led to the room in front of the exit. I didn’t know why until suddenly a blast of hot air from the stairs hit me in the face and threw me to the floor.
I was buried under several people and my feet were trapped. I tried to get to the door but couldn’t free myself under my own weight as the flames were already coming up and were above us.
What happened then?

I lay on the floor for three or four seconds and thought it was all over, I could hardly breathe. Then someone suddenly grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the crowd. People were pushing towards the exit, but somehow I made it all the way out through the small door.

Did it take a long time for the emergency services to arrive?

The emergency services were on site quite quickly, but they didn’t have a clear overview of the situation at the beginning. At the beginning, people with minor injuries were taken to hospital more quickly than those with very serious injuries.
I didn’t feel the cold at all when I was outside. I only realised that a few hours later in hospital.

 

[mickey2942]

I only hope Justice will be served.
(Swift and hard)
And things will not be swept under the carpet.
The world is watching!

I doubt it. This will go on forever, with fingerpointing. Nothing will get resolved. And it will probably continue to happen.

 

[Herat]

I doubt it. This will go on forever, with fingerpointing. Nothing will get resolved. And it will probably continue to happen.

I believe there will be some good that comes out of this.

First of all - sparklers and burning candles should be completely blocked from ever being used in a drinking establishement. If you want ambience, there are plenty of fake lit candles out there.

Secondly, under no circumstance can any flammable material be used on a ceiling.

I would also expect the Swiss cantons will seriously review the issue of modifications to exits such as stairways, and emergency doors.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2010359481289314517

 

[djanga]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2010359481289314517

I just wonder if nobody else apart from him had the key from this exit? Not even the security or his wife?

 

[Herat]

In the black and white photo of Le Constellation basement from an undetermined date, the exit door, which is being termed a "service door" clearly has two locks on it that close from the inside.

Furthermore, the door swing into the room, not away from it. A massive violation of safety in any exit.

I suspect this was remodeled into that very strange Le Bar Clandestin niche area but the exit from that area is not clear and it certainly is not marked as any emergency exit.

 

[mickey2942]

I believe there will be some good that comes out of this.

First of all - sparklers and burning candles should be completely blocked from ever being used in a drinking establishement. If you want ambience, there are plenty of fake lit candles out there.

Secondly, under no circumstance can any flammable material be used on a ceiling.

I would also expect the Swiss cantons will seriously review the issue of modifications to exits such as stairways, and emergency doors.

Too expensive. They will grandfather in all existing establishments. And require it for new places.

This is common in Montana for ADA accommodations. They just say, okay, no need to meet that due to age of building. Case closed. Bypass laws. Happens all of the time here.

 

[Gemmie]

This is lovely to behold that came out of such a sad event.

Skiers in Switzerland formed a heart to honor the dozens of people killed when a fire tore through a New Year's celebration in a crowded bar.

Video link HERE.

 

[Harchmare]

34 Swiss inferno victims 'died after renovated staircase

Horrific new details of the basement inferno in Le Constellation, in the ski resort of Crans Montana, were released on Monday, as its owner, 49-year-old Jacques Moretti, prepared to appear in court.

mol.im

Investigators have now established that 34 of those who died in the early hours of January 1 perished on the cramped stairwell that had been narrowed by two-thirds by its owner.

It led up from the basement, where the fire was allegedly triggered by sparklers in champagne bottles that ignited foam soundproof cladding in the ceiling.

‘This amounts to 85 per cent of the dead,’ said one enquiry source. ‘They were trapped on the tiny staircase as everyone fought to get out, but they were unable to escape.

 

[Penny68]

So thoughtful and precious all those skiers creating the heart in memory of all those who lost their lives.

As well for sure the injured and all that have been affected by the devastating fire.

I filled up seeing the heart shape on the slope. Bless them all. xx

 

[Dotta]

Some patients were transferred to hospitals as far away as Poland. That is a huge expense for a family of limited means that cannot afford to take off work for extended periods of time.

RSBM

Now I read in Polish MSM that:

"Switzerland will not accept assistance offered by Poland following the fire during a New Year's Eve party.
'The Swiss refused due to the distance and language barrier',
said the spokesman from the Burn Treatment Center in Siemianowice Śląskie
(one of the best centers in Poland providing comprehensive treatment for burns and chronic wounds)

'If the Swiss side changes its mind,
we are ready to accept patients',
the spokesman added."

Premier zaoferował pomoc po pożarze w szwajcarskim kurorcie. "Szwajcarzy odmówili"

Szwajcaria nie skorzysta z pomocy oferowanej przez Polskę w związku z pożarem podczas imprezy sylwestrowej, w którym zginęło 47 osób, a ponad 100 zostało rannych. - Szwajcarzy odmówili ze względu na dużą odległość i barierę językową - powiedziała w rozmowie z Interią Marta Stec z Centrum...

www.polsatnews.pl

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2010653595331359229

"The majority of the 40 victims of the New Year's fire in a Swiss bar died
as they attempted to flee the burning building
via
a renovated staircase that 'fell apart',
it emerged today.

'Many were forced back into the basement when the stairwell became completely overcrowded and fell apart.
It had been significantly reduced in size by the owners'.

Swiss law enforcement officers found numerous bodies at the bottom of the staircase after the wooden steps and handrails collapsed.

'They could not withstand the pressure of the fleeing crowd,
detached from the wall,
and plunged into the basement'."

 

[Dotta]

Too expensive. They will grandfather in all existing establishments. And require it for new places.

This is common in Montana for ADA accommodations. They just say, okay, no need to meet that due to age of building. Case closed. Bypass laws. Happens all of the time here.

That is why it is up to customers to choose.
Be careful where you decide to spend your time and hard earned money.

Mind your safety folks.
Trust your own common sense.

JMO

 

[Harchmare]

Crans-Montana, convalidato l’arresto di Jacques Moretti Jacques Moretti remanded in custody for another 3 months because he’s a flight risk