Co-Owner of Swiss Ski Bar Detained After Deadly New Year’s Fire
One of the owners of a Swiss ski resort bar where 40 people died in a New Year’s Eve fire has been detained.
Swiss prosecutors confirmed that Jacques Moretti, a French national and co-owner of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, was ordered to be held because he was considered a flight risk. Local media reported the detention was carried out on Friday. Prosecutors said the couple who own the bar are under criminal investigation on suspicion of offences including homicide by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight on January 1st, killing 40 people and injuring 116 others, many with serious burns. More than half of those who died were teenagers, with eight victims under the age of 16. Several of the dead were from Switzerland, France and Italy.
Investigators believe that the blaze started when people celebrating the New Year raised champagne bottles topped with sparklers, which ignited soundproofing foam on the ceiling of the basement bar. It later emerged that the venue had not undergone safety inspections for five years, despite the rules requiring that they have annual checks.
Jacques Moretti has previously denied wrongdoing, insisting that “everything was done according to the rules”. His wife and co-owner, Jessica Moretti, was not detained. Speaking outside court in Sion, she apologised to those affected, saying: “I would like to apologise to all the victims. My thoughts are always with the victims. It is an unbelievable tragedy that happened in our bar.”
The couple have said they are devastated by the fire and have pledged full cooperation with investigators. In an earlier statement, they said: “We are devastated and overcome with grief, our thoughts are constantly with the victims, their loved ones who have been bereaved so brutally and prematurely, and all those who are fighting for their lives.”
Friday’s detention of Moretti came as Switzerland held a national day of mourning. A minute of silence was observed across the country, church bells rang for five minutes, public transport was paused and Zurich airport briefly halted operations. At local ceremonies in Crans-Montana and Martigny, firefighters were applauded and mourners stood in silence under heavy snowfall. Flowers, letters and teddy bears were placed near the shuttered bar.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin said he hoped those responsible would be brought to justice “without delay or leniency”. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose country lost six citizens in the fire, said those responsible must be identified and punished, adding: “What happened in Crans-Montana is the result of too many people not doing their job or thinking they were making easy money. Those responsible must be identified and prosecuted.”
The mayor of Crans-Montana has admitted he cannot explain why the bar went so long without inspections, saying: “We regret that - we owe it to the families and we will accept the responsibility.” He has also announced a ban on sparklers in local venues.
As funerals begin and many injured victims continue treatment in Switzerland and abroad, families are pushing for answers about how the tragedy was allowed to happen.
