Families shocked Swiss ski bar was not inspected for years before deadly fire

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete January 7, 2026 at 11:54 AM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

Families of victims of the deadly New Year's Eve fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, are shocked that the venue had not been inspected for safety in five years, despite annual checks being mandatory. The fire, which killed 40 and injured 116, is believed to have been started by champagne bottles with sparklers igniting soundproofing foam. The bar's managers, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are under criminal investigation for manslaughter, bodily harm, and arson by negligence. The mayor of Crans-Montana has expressed regret for the lack of inspections and announced a ban on sparklers in local venues. Lawyers representing the families are questioning the municipality's role and urging officials to take responsibility for the disaster.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Ricardo Minghetti 60% Romain Jordan 70% Jacques Moretti 70% Jessica Moretti 70% Nicolas Feraud 70% Le Constellation ×280% Crans-Montana ×390% Switzerland ×290% Swiss Bar Fire 95%

Keywords

ski bar fire 100% safety inspections 90% negligence 80% criminal investigation 70% crans-montana 60% sparklers 60% fire safety 50% local authorities 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.80

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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ski bar fire safety inspections negligence criminal investigation crans-montana sparklers fire safety local authorities

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