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Switzerland Mourns Bar Fire Victims as Owners Face Prosecutors

Prosecutors are questioning the bar's owners in a probe centered on suspected sparkler ignition plus lapsed safety inspections.

Overview

  • A national day of mourning brought a minute of silence at 2 p.m. and a memorial in Martigny attended by Swiss, French and Italian leaders.
  • Bar owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti were questioned by Valais prosecutors in Sion on suspicion of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
  • Investigators say the blaze likely began when champagne-bottle sparklers ignited ceiling soundproofing in the basement, leaving 40 dead and 116 injured, many of them teenagers.
  • Crans‑Montana authorities acknowledged years of missed mandatory fire inspections and have banned indoor sparkler devices while external audits of venues are launched.
  • AFP confirmed a viral clip wrongly linked to the disaster actually showed a December 22, 2025 fire at a restaurant in Bali.