At a Glance
- Jacques Moretti says he discovered a service door locked from the inside after the New Year’s Eve blaze
- 40 people died and over 100 were injured when fire swept through Le Constellation in Crans-Montana
- Moretti and his wife Jessica have been charged with negligent manslaughter, bodily harm and arson
- Why it matters: The revelation raises urgent questions about emergency exits and inspection lapses at the Swiss venue
The owner of Le Constellation bar has told investigators that a service door was locked from the inside when fire tore through the Swiss venue on New Year’s Eve, trapping dozens of revelers and leaving 40 dead.
Jacques Moretti was arrested on January 9 and charged alongside his wife Jessica with negligent manslaughter, bodily harm and arson, prosecutors confirmed.
The Locked Door Discovery
During questioning, Moretti said he only learned the door was secured after the blaze had been extinguished, according to a report by Olivia M. Hartwell for News Of Losangeles.
He claimed he opened the basement-level service door himself and found multiple lifeless bodies behind it. Swiss broadcaster RTS, cited by Euro News, said Moretti told authorities he did not know why the door had been locked.
Investigators have not yet issued a final cause, but initial findings point to sparkler candles igniting soundproofing foam on the ceiling. Moretti reportedly said he had tested the sparklers beforehand and believed they were too weak to set the foam ablaze.
Years of Missed Inspections
Official safety checks at the bar had lapsed for several years.
Crans-Montana municipal leader Nicolas Féraud admitted periodic fire-safety inspections “were not carried out between 2020 and 2025.”
“We regret this bitterly,” Féraud told reporters. “We owe it to the families, and we will accept responsibility.”
Victim Accounts
Survivors described chaos as revelers tried to escape through a single narrow exit.
Laetitia Place, 17, told Reuters she saw “horrible things that no one should ever have to see.”
“There’s the small door where everyone was pushing, and so we all fell, we were piled on top of each other, some people were burning, and some were dead next to us,” she said.
Legal Fallout
Both Morettis pledged full cooperation with the probe, CBS noted. Jessica, released after her husband’s arrest, issued a public apology.
“My thoughts are constantly with the victims,” she said in a statement carried by 24 Heures. “It’s an unimaginable tragedy; it happened in our institution, and I want to apologize.”
Key Takeaways
- A locked service door may have blocked a critical escape route
- Fire inspections were skipped for five consecutive years
- Sparkler candles and ceiling foam are the focus of the technical inquiry
- The couple face multiple counts of negligence as grieving families demand answers
