The local authorities revealed on Tuesday that fire safety inspections had not been conducted for several years at the bar where a tragic fire erupted during a New Year’s party, resulting in the loss of 40 lives and leaving over 100 individuals injured.
Initial investigations suggest that the fire at Le Constellation in Crans-Montana was triggered by festive candles placed on champagne bottles that accidentally ignited as they neared the ceiling. Officials are examining whether the soundproofing material on the ceiling met safety standards and if the use of candles was authorized at the establishment.
Swiss authorities have initiated a criminal inquiry into the bar’s managers, who are facing allegations of involuntary manslaughter, unintentional bodily harm, and causing a fire unintentionally, according to the chief prosecutor of the Valais region.
According to regional authorities, safety inspections were the responsibility of the municipality. The head of the municipal government in Crans-Montana, Nicolas Féraud, disclosed that inspections of Le Constellation were conducted until 2019. However, he admitted during a press briefing that no regular checks had been carried out between 2020 and 2025, a fact that was only discovered following the fire.
Féraud expressed regret over the oversight, emphasizing that judicial authorities would need to determine any potential impact on the sequence of events leading to the tragic incident.
He acknowledged the lack of safety inspections over the extended period but could not offer an immediate explanation for the lapse. Féraud mentioned that an external expert had assessed the bar’s soundproofing in September of the previous year, confirming compliance with anti-noise regulations without further commentary.
Identification of some victims was complicated due to severe burns sustained during the fire, necessitating the collection of DNA samples from families for identification purposes. Authorities completed the identification of the 40 deceased individuals on Sunday and confirmed the identities of all 116 injured persons on Monday.
Reports from previous inspections indicated a maximum occupancy of 100 individuals on each floor of the bar. The exact number of people present at Le Constellation during the incident remains uncertain, and investigators have suggested that this detail may never be fully determined.
