Overview
- The New Year’s blaze at Le Constellation killed 40 people and injured 116, according to reported tallies.
- Bar manager Jacques Moretti admitted to prosecutors that an emergency exit was padlocked, and a 2015 renovation had narrowed the venue’s sole staircase.
- Mayor Nicolas Féraud acknowledged the bar had not been inspected by municipal authorities for five to six years despite a cantonal requirement for annual checks.
- Coverage cites overcrowding, flammable acoustic foam and the absence of an automatic fire‑suppression system as safety deficiencies under investigation.
- Prosecutors are assessing alleged preferential treatment and the removal of inspector names from the municipal website, while a newly adopted Valais law limiting authority liability faces fresh scrutiny.