Overview
- Valais prosecutors have opened a case for negligent homicide, negligent bodily injury and negligent arson, placing owner Jacques Moretti in pretrial detention while his wife, Jessica, remains free.
- During his hearing, Moretti said a service door was locked from the inside and not marked as an emergency exit, and he reported forcing it open after the blaze.
- Interrogation records indicate regular use of bottle-mounted sparklers for bottle service, which investigators suspect may have ignited material near the ceiling.
- Moretti told investigators he bought the acoustic foam at a DIY store and installed it himself, and he acknowledged it is not impossible the sparklers triggered the fire.
- Local residents are faulting the commune’s oversight after Crans-Montana authorities acknowledged shortcomings in fire-safety inspections, as the death toll stands at 40 with about 116 injured.