Key Points
- A devastating fire erupted at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Valais canton, Switzerland, on 1 January 2026 at 01:26 CET during New Year’s celebrations, killing 40 people and injuring 116, with 83 suffering severe burns.
- Victims were mostly young, averaging 19 years old; all 40 deceased and 116 injured identified by early January.
- Fire likely started from sparklers on champagne bottles igniting flammable ceiling foam insulation, which spread rapidly due to non-compliant materials.
- Bar owners Jacques Moretti (49) and Jessica Moretti (40), French citizens running the venue since 2015, face charges of negligent homicide, bodily harm, and arson by negligence.
- Jacques Moretti arrested on 9 January 2026 and held in pre-trial detention due to flight risk; Jessica under house arrest.
- No fire safety inspections conducted at the bar since 2019 or 2020, violating Valais regulations requiring annual checks.
- National day of mourning on 9 January 2026 with minute’s silence, church bells; memorial in nearby Martigny attended by Swiss President Guy Parmelin, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
- Eyewitnesses described apocalyptic scenes with screams, burned faces; personal stories like Lausanne student Kenzo Ronnow learning of near-miss for flatmate’s brother.
- Bar primarily served locals, capacity 300 indoors plus terrace; owners also ran Senso (2020) and Vieux Chalet (2023) in area.
- Criminal probe ongoing; families filed complaints; ICU overload led to patients transferred across Switzerland and Europe.
Crans-Montana (Swiss News Agency) 17 January 2026 – A catastrophic fire at Le Constellation bar in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana has left Switzerland reeling, with 40 dead and over 100 injured in one of the nation’s worst tragedies in recent memory. Owner Jacques Moretti was arrested on Friday amid mounting public anger over safety lapses, as grief-stricken families demand answers.
What Caused the Fire at Le Constellation?
Preliminary investigations point to sparkler-style pyrotechnics attached to champagne bottles as the ignition source during New Year’s celebrations. As reported by Béatrice Pilloud, attorney-general for Valais, to BBC News, “Everything suggests that the blaze ignited from sparklers attached to bottles of champagne, which were moved too close to the ceiling.”
Fire safety experts noted the bar’s ceiling used cheap, highly flammable insulating material, installed incorrectly and left exposed, violating Swiss regulations that require such materials to be covered. This allowed rapid flame spread and flashover, trapping revellers inside. The bar, a café-nightclub primarily for locals with capacity for 300, featured a shisha area and lacked recent safety checks.
Who Are the Owners Facing Charges?
Jacques Moretti, 49, and his wife Jessica Moretti, 40, both French citizens domiciled in Lens, Switzerland, took over the derelict Le Constellation in 2015, renovating it into a nightlife hub. They expanded to Senso bar-restaurant in 2020 and Vieux Chalet in Lens by 2023, per business records cited by Daniel Pocock on danielpocock.com.
On 9 January, chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud announced Jacques Moretti’s custody in a pre-trial facility over flight risk, as covered by New York Post. Jessica Moretti was placed under house arrest after interrogation; she apologised emotionally to families, calling the event “unimaginable,” according to Instagram reports from BBC News. French media, including FSP and Le Parisien, revealed Jacques Moretti’s prior conviction around 2008 for prostitution-related crimes, kidnapping, and false imprisonment in France.
Prosecutors in Sion are investigating the couple for negligent homicide, bodily harm, and arson, following complaints from victims’ families, Reuters reported.
Why Had Safety Inspections Lapsed?
Valais authorities admitted no fire safety inspections occurred at Le Constellation from 2020 to 2025, despite annual requirements for public buildings. Ans-Mana Mayor Fera expressed deep regret at a press briefing, as detailed by DW.com: “We deeply regret that periodic inspections were not carried out from 2020 to 2025.”
Regional rules place oversight on municipalities, but lapses exposed vulnerabilities in enforcement. A criminal inquiry targets the bar’s management for these failures, exacerbating the fire’s toll, per ABC News Australia.
What Do Eyewitnesses Describe?
Harrowing accounts emerged from survivors. Eyewitness Edmund Coquette told CNN affiliate RTL Germany: “You saw the young people who were totally burned in the face. The most distressing part was the cries of these young individuals, their screams filled with anguish.”
At the memorial, Marie, who aided victims from a nearby bar, recounted to BBC News: “The scenes we encountered were unbearable. It was worse than a nightmare. The cries echoed in the frigid air, and the scent of smoke was overwhelming. It felt apocalyptic.” Lausanne student Kenzo Ronnow, 19, discovered via news his flatmate’s brother had left Le Constellation at 1:15am, just before the 1:26am blaze.
How Has Switzerland Responded with Mourning?
The nation observed a national day of mourning on 9 January, with flags at half-mast in Bern, church bells at 2pm, and a minute’s silence, announced by President Guy Parmelin to Sonntagszeitung, as per Bluewin.ch. A memorial ceremony in nearby Martigny drew top officials: Parmelin, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella, covered live by DRM News on YouTube.
Parmelin vowed: “A tragedy of such magnitude should not happen again,” amid five days of official mourning declared post-disaster. All 116 injured identified by 5 January, 75% still hospitalised; ICUs in Valais overflowed, transferring patients abroad.
What Remains the Public Mood?
Grief has morphed into fury over preventable deaths. Families scramble for justice as the probe deepens. Wikipedia’s entry on the 2026 Crans-Montana bar fire notes it as Switzerland’s deadliest recent incident, fuelling calls for stricter tourism venue regulations in Valais, economically tied to skiing.
France24 highlighted the youthful toll, averaging 19 years, amplifying national shock. As Ronnow noted, “Switzerland isn’t often in the news,” but this “incomprehensible nightmare” has united the country in sorrow and scrutiny.
