US EditionCrans-Montana bar owner says service door was locked during deadly New Year blaze
Investigators probe a locked service door and safety lapses after a New Year's Eve fire killed 40 people, mostly teenagers, and injured 116 in a Swiss bar.
- On Friday, Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, was taken into custody as prosecutors opened an inquiry into the New Year's Eve blaze.
- Initial findings show sparklers contacted acoustic foam on the basement ceiling, and Moretti bought and installed the foam himself during 2015 renovations.
- Police reports indicate a service door was locked from the inside, and Moretti forced it open, finding several people lying behind the door.
- Most of the 40 people who died were teenagers and about 116 injured, and flags, flowers and candles were displayed on January 6, 2026, as Swiss officials and media questioned safety inspections.
- The couple, Jessica and Jacques Moretti, are suspected of negligence, with Jessica stating `We always add a sparkler candle when we serve a bottle of wine in the dining room.` and Moretti claiming candles did not ignite the foam.
28 Articles
28 Articles
The interrogation of the owner of the premises of the stake that caused 40 victims and 116 wounded: "I forced the entrance, behind there were the bodies"
Investigators probe bar safety lapses after fire
Not only was it not fireproof, but it was even highly flammable. The polyurethane foam purchased by Jacques Moretti in the DIY store ?Hornbach? at 17...
The French owner of the bar that burned down in Switzerland, causing 40 deaths on New Year's night, told researchers that a "service door" was blocked from the inside.
After the fire in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, the operator of the bar is now in custody. He is said to have admitted to the public prosecutor's office of the canton of Valais that a "service door" had been closed.
Service door in Swiss bar fire was locked from the inside, owner says
The charges against the bar owner, Jacques Moretti, could be complicated if the public prosecutor concludes that he is partly to blame for the door being locked. Moretti says he does not know why the fire exit door was locked.
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