Swiss Bar Where 40 Died Had No Safety Checks For 5 Years: "We Regret This Bitterly"

Authorities in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana have admitted that Le Constellation bar - where a fire killed 40 people on New Year's Day - had not received a mandatory fire safety inspection since 2019. Preliminary investigations suggest the blaze started at approximately 1:30 a.m. when sparkler candles attached to champagne bottles ignited soundproofing foam on the basement ceiling. The fire killed 40 people and injured 116 others. The victims were mostly young, with an average age of 19, and some were as young as 14.

Mayor Nicolas Feraud expressed the council's "bitter regret" and admitted that Le Constellation Bar hadn't undergone safety inspections since 2019, Metro reported. Local regulations required annual checks, but Feraud confirmed that "periodic inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025."

The bar's sound-proof foam was deemed acceptable in 2019, but no further checks were done. Feraud expressed regret, stating they're "profoundly sorry" and will accept responsibility for the oversight. He also said he couldn't immediately explain why safety inspections hadn't been conducted for such a long time.

"We are profoundly sorry. We did not have an indication that the checks had not been done. We regret that – we owe it to the families and we will accept the responsibility," the Mayor said. Le Constellation, located on the ground floor of a residential building, has a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.

Other Safety Lapses:

• The bar had no fire alarm, which was not legally required for its size.
• The basement ceiling was covered in flammable acoustic foam that had never been specifically tested for fire safety by local agents.
• Witnesses reported a narrow staircase became a bottleneck, and a secondary emergency exit was allegedly locked.

The Aftermath

The bar's two French owners are under investigation for homicide by negligence, causing bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.

Crans-Montana has immediately banned indoor sparklers and commissioned an external agency to audit safety at all local public venues. The mayor also announced that all 128 public buildings in the town will undergo inspection by a specialised safety agency "as quickly as possible" and that the use of any pyrotechnics inside public venues will be banned with immediate effect.