Shocking details
Landlords rebuilt death bar in Crans-Montana themselves
The Corsican entrepreneur couple Moretti ran the business of the bar of death "Le Constellation". Since the fire disaster in Crans-Montana, criticism of the landlords and the responsible authorities has become ever louder - while new details paint a picture of irresponsibility.
At least 40 people have died in the flaming hell of Crans-Montana. The case is causing great emotion far beyond Switzerland. Surviving relatives are increasingly angry about the conditions on site: no escape routes, apparently lax admission controls and taciturn operators. The lining of the party cellar, which could only be reached via a narrow staircase, was particularly criticized.
In the room, acoustic foam panels were apparently glued to the ceilings, which were ignited by spray candles on champagne bottles, as the public prosecutor's office has since confirmed. The material was apparently highly flammable and the fire spread within seconds. And a party cellar became a death trap.
Acoustic insulation caused a "flashover"
The cantonal government of Valais wrote in a press release about a "flashover" in the bar - a fire phenomenon that a fire safety expert compared to a kind of fire roller. Huge amounts of heat cause combustible material to decompose in such a way that certain gases are released. As a result, things can catch fire even without coming into contact with flames.
Particularly tragic: In a clip taken shortly after the ignition, it can be seen that many revelers were unaware of the danger (see tweet above). A young man tries to hit the flames with a sweater and put them out - without success. Many probably only realized that they were about to die in flames when the wooden structure also caught fire. What followed was panic-stricken violence that can hardly be put into words.
Landlord breaks his silence
And the owners? They made themselves scarce for a long time. They are now accused of a cover-up, as they deleted the entire social media presence of "Le Constellation" within a few hours of the disaster. In older pictures of the party cellar on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, the foam lining of the cellar was clearly visible, as the "Krone" was able to reconstruct in internet archives.
Jessica Moretti (40) and her husband Jacques have built up a small restaurant empire in recent years and own several establishments in the upmarket resort of Crans-Montana. Mrs. Moretti was apparently on site when the bar burned down and was reportedly slightly injured in the hand. According to the public prosecutor's office, the bar owners have been questioned by the investigators responsible. Traces were secured on site.
Swiss journalists from the "20 Minuten" portal have now managed to reach Jacques Moretti. The landlord wants to help solve the accident: "We will do everything we can to help clarify the causes. We are doing everything in our power. Our lawyers are also involved." The reporters describe the man as "visibly marked". The couple could "neither sleep nor eat, we are all in a very bad way".
Jacques Moretti declined to give a longer interview to the "Tribune de Genève". He was "not in good shape" after the tragedy. However, he claimed that the business had been inspected "three times" in the past ten years and that "everything had gone according to plan".
Operators converted the restaurant themselves
After taking over the bar in 2015, the entrepreneurial couple, who are well respected in the town, declared that they had converted "Le Constellation" themselves. In an interview with the regional newspaper "Le Novelliste" in 2016, Jacques Moretti explained that he had renovated the restaurant in six months.
He proudly told the paper at the time: "I did almost everything myself. Look at these walls - that's 14 tons of dry stone from Saint-Léonard." At the press conference on Thursday, the municipality and authorities were tight-lipped when it came to the question of whether fire regulations had been complied with.
Mayor shines with ignorance
Fire safety in Switzerland is generally regarded as strict. The municipalities are usually responsible for this. The assessment is usually carried out on an individual and property-related basis. However, Mayor Nicolas Féraud was unable to tell reporters how often these inspections take place. "We have to ask whether the owners have submitted to these inspections," explained the mayor.
It is therefore not known when and how the owners were checked. At the time of the accident, the bar was mainly frequented by young people. The bar was known for its "lax" admission controls, the young people told journalists present after the disaster.
The moment when the ceiling of the party cellar caught fire:
Identification proves difficult
Even 13-year-olds were regularly given access to the "Constel". The authorities have so far refused to provide information on the ages of the victims. According to public statements, identification will take days because the bodies are so badly burned. They need to be "100 percent sure" before informing the families. "The first goal is to assign names to all the bodies", explained Mayor Féraud.
Background
- Commercially available foam sheets are often made of polyurethane. In other words, they are made from plastics or synthetic resins based on petroleum.
- Acoustic foams are available in different fire protection classes.
- Easily flammable variants are usually particularly inexpensive. These are often used in private music rooms.
- It is not known exactly what was glued to the ceiling in "Le Constellation".
Videos show that even those who made it outside early suffered severe burns. Their clothes melted into their skin. Of the survivors, dozens are still fighting to survive. People with third-degree burns on around 15 percent of their body surface have an increased risk of dying in the hours and days following the accident, Valais safety director Stéphane Ganzer told French radio station RTL.
What threatens the operators now?
The further course of the investigation will focus in particular on the conversions, the materials used, the operating licenses and the safety precautions. "This means: the available extinguishing agents, escape routes, compliance with fire safety regulations and the general means of firefighting," said Attorney General Béatrice Pilloud on Friday.
There is the possibility of criminal prosecution, Pilloud continued. If the responsibility of "persons who are still alive" is at stake, a criminal investigation could be opened into negligent arson, negligent homicide and negligent bodily harm. The presumption of innocence applies.
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