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Crans-Montana Admits Five-Year Lapse in Bar Safety Checks After New Year’s Fire Killed 40

Investigators say sparklers likely ignited foam on a low ceiling, prompting a criminal probe of the bar’s managers.

Overview

  • Officials confirmed no mandatory inspections were carried out at Le Constellation between 2020 and 2025, with the last check in 2019 despite yearly requirements.
  • The municipality banned indoor sparkler candles, ordered immediate external audits of public venues, and shut another site run by the same operators.
  • Swiss prosecutors placed the bar’s two French managers under investigation for suspected homicide, bodily harm and arson by negligence; they have not been arrested.
  • Early findings point to champagne-bottle sparklers igniting sound‑insulating foam installed after 2015 renovations and deemed acceptable in 2019; the venue had no required fire alarm for its size and was rated for two exits and up to 100 people per floor.
  • The blaze left 40 dead and 116 injured, with 83 still in hospital; most victims were teenagers, the average age was 19, and identification and repatriations have involved multiple countries.