Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Crans‑Montana Bar Fire Investigation Zeroes In on Exit Access as Owner Held in Pre‑Trial Detention

Investigators are probing potential safety failures after new footage suggested a blocked emergency route.

Overview

  • Authorities report 40 dead and about 116 injured, with roughly 80 people still hospitalized for severe burns in Switzerland and abroad.
  • A surveillance clip published by Italy’s Tg3 appears to show a small piece of furniture in front of a not‑obvious exit, though the footage has not been officially verified.
  • Prosecutors in Valais are investigating suspected negligent homicide and bodily injury; owner Jacques Moretti is in pre‑trial detention for flight risk while co‑owner Jessica Moretti must surrender travel documents and check in daily with police.
  • Media reports say a waitress serving champagne with a lit sparkler likely ignited flammable ceiling material and died in the blaze, as her family’s lawyers assert she was following employers’ instructions.
  • The owner told Swiss broadcaster RTS he personally replaced ceiling foam about a decade ago with shop‑bought material that reports describe as easily flammable.