Swiss Authorities Investigate Bar Owners After Deadly New Year’s Blaze

Swiss prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the two operators of Le Constellation, the upscale ski-resort bar that erupted in flames on New Year’s Eve, killing 40 people and injuring 119 others many of them severely burned and still unidentified.

Authorities in Valais confirmed Saturday that the bar’s operators are under investigation for homicide by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence following the catastrophic fire in Crans-Montana, one of Switzerland’s most affluent ski towns.

“It was an enormous tragedy. We’re all so sorry that this had to happen,” Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans said from outside the bar, where a growing memorial of candles and flowers now marks one of the worst disasters in Swiss history.

Early findings paint a horrifying picture:

• Prosecutors believe sparkler-style fountain candles used in a New Year celebration may have ignited flammable ceiling foam, turning the basement-level venue into a death trap.

• Temperatures inside the venue reached 500–600°C (900–1,100°F), making survival impossible for many and rendering bodies unrecognizable.

• Only five victims have been identified so far, including 16–21-year-old Swiss youths and Italian teenage golf star Emanuele Galeppini.

• Some victims may have been under the age of 16, and the crowd skewed very young, according to locals.

The Swiss government acknowledged that alcohol laws allowing beer and wine at 16 may have played a role in the venue's youthful attendance.

The investigation now focuses on the following key questions:

• Were fire safety codes and capacity limits followed?

• Did the bar undergo required annual inspections?

• Was the foam used in the ceiling fire-retardant, and were sprinklers or extinguishers functional?

One of the bar's owners, Jacques Moretti, told a local paper that Le Constellation had been inspected three times over the last decade and was compliant. But Stephane Ganzer, head of security in Valais, said officials are still verifying whether annual checks were completed and whether any violations were overlooked.

Residents of Crans-Montana, stunned and grieving, say accountability must come after mourning.

“We need a moment to reflect,” said Patricia Mazzoni, 55. “But afterwards, I’d like an independent investigation to find out who failed here.”

And failed they did. Witnesses say staff were walking through a crowded basement waving lit sparklers atop champagne bottles, even as flammable materials loomed overhead. The fire then spread "rapidly and widely," said Chief Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud, consuming the room before most could react.

Emergency services arrived swiftly, but many were already dead. Identifying the bodies will take days or even weeks further delaying closure for families who rang in the new year with joy, only to be met with unimaginable tragedy.

This wasn’t just a freak accident. It was preventable. And now, Switzerland is left asking whether years of regulatory complacency and flashy nightlife culture came at the cost of its youth.

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