Service door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says | Crans-Montana fire
The French owner of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire during New Year’s celebrations told investigators that the service door was locked from the inside.
Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, was detained on Friday as prosecutors investigated the tragedy.
Most of the 40 people who died were young people and 116 people were injured.
Moretti told the Valais prosecutor’s office that he learned of the locked door’s existence immediately after the fatal fire.
When he arrived at the scene, he forced the door open, according to excerpts from police reports published by several French and Swiss media outlets, a source close to the incident confirmed to AFP.
Moretti said that after opening the door, he found several people lying behind the door.
Preliminary findings suggest that the fire was caused by sparklers coming into contact with soundproofing foam placed in the ceiling of the facility’s basement.
Questions are also raised about the presence and accessibility of fire extinguishers and whether bar exits comply with regulations.
Mayor says there has been no safety inspection on Switzerland bar fire for the past five years
“We always add a sparkler candle when serving a bottle of wine in the dining room,” said his wife and co-owner Jessica, who was released after a hearing on Friday.
Moretti told investigators he ran tests and found the candles were not powerful enough to ignite the acoustic foam.
He said he purchased the foam from a construction store and personally installed it during renovations after purchasing the business in 2015.
Regarding the presence of many underage children in the bar at the time of the tragedy, Moretti said that the establishment banned anyone under the age of 16 and that customers between the ages of 16 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
He said he gave these “instructions” to security personnel, but acknowledged that “it was possible there was a breakdown in protocol.”
It was learned that the couple was suspected of “negligent murder, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson”.
