Swiss bar owners face criminal negligence probe after fatal fire
(VOVWORLD) - Swiss authorities said on Saturday they have launched a criminal investigation into the owners of the Crans-Montana ski resort bar where 40 people died in a fire during a New Year's Eve party.
 Police forces cordon off the site for investigation of the bar fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 1, 2026. (Photo: Reuters) |
They are accused of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and negligent causing of a conflagration, the police for the region of Valais, where Crans-Montana is located, announced.
French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti owned and managed the Le Constellation bar, which was crammed with young new year’s revelers when a blaze began at about 1.30 a.m. local time (12.30 a.m. GMT) on Thursday, killing about 40 people and injuring more than 100.
Authorities said that the leading hypothesis of the cause of the fire was that "sparklers or Bengal candles attached to champagne bottles" had been "lifted too close to the ceiling."