Like many young people in Switzerland, Kenzo Ronnow, a university student in Lausanne, slept in on New Year’s Day after celebrating the night before. But as he scrolled through his phone after waking up, he saw the top story on a foreign news site was about Switzerland.
A fire had torn through Le Constellation, a bar in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana in the Valais canton—a popular spot for New Year’s Eve celebrations. One of the two bar owners was taken into custody on Friday.
At first, the 19-year-old struggled to understand what was happening. “They were talking about lots of people being dead,” he said. “I was really surprised, also because Switzerland isn’t often in the news.”
He was with his flatmate, who asked him to read the story aloud. “That’s when she said her little brother was in Crans-Montana for New Year’s Eve.”
A frantic call was made to her brother, who had celebrated at Le Constellation but left around 1:15 a.m., just 15 minutes before the fire broke out.
Similar urgent searches for family and friends unfolded across Switzerland as the horror of the tragedy—one of the worst in the country’s recent history—began to sink in.
Eight days later, the country is still grappling with the scale of the event. A national day of mourning was held on Friday, and a memorial ceremony attended by top European officials, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella, took place in a town near Crans-Montana.
Swiss authorities have confirmed a death toll of 40, most of them teenagers or in their 20s—the youngest was 14—and largely from Switzerland, France, and Italy. Another 116 people were injured, with 83 still hospitalized for severe burns.
Meanwhile, anger and dismay have grown as details about the cause of the fire and shocking safety failures have emerged.
Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the bar owners, are under investigation for manslaughter through negligence. Mr. Moretti was arrested and held in custody after the couple were questioned by prosecutors in Sion on Friday morning, a source told the Guardian.
The couple, who bought and renovated the bar in 2015, have denied any wrongdoing. In a statement this week, they said they were “devastated and overwhelmed with grief” and promised “full cooperation” with the investigation.
Authorities said the fire started in the bar’s crowded basement room when sparklers attached to champagne bottles were held too close to a ceiling believed to be covered with soundproofing foam. A haunting social media image showed a female server sitting on the shoulders of a male colleague, each holding a bottle with sparklers, just before the flames caught the ceiling. The woman was among those who died.
The investigation is focusing on the bar’s renovations, fire-extinguishing systems, escape routes, and the number of people inside when the fire started.
In a startling admission on Tuesday, Nicolas Féraud, the mayor of Crans-Montana, said no safety inspections had been conducted on the premises since 2019. He could not explain why the required annual inspections were not carried out. “We’re profoundly sorry, and I know how hard that will be for the families,” Féraud said, adding that his administration wanted to show “full transparency.”
Lawyers representing the families of those who died or were injured…Those injured in the tragedy have accused investigators of moving too slowly to secure crucial evidence. As firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, lawyers Romain Jordan and Ronald Asmar from the Geneva-based firm Merkt claimed that the bar’s owners appeared to have deactivated its Instagram and Facebook accounts, thereby “deleting pictures and videos that could have been useful to the investigation.” The Guardian has contacted the couple’s lawyers for comment.
“This should have alerted the prosecutors immediately,” added Jordan, who was present with Asmar during the questioning of the Morettis on Friday. He claimed authorities initially tried to exclude lawyers representing the victims’ families from the hearing. “The authorities are only now starting to grasp the full scope of the investigation.”
Jordan said that everyone, especially those in French-speaking Switzerland, had been “personally affected by the tragedy at some level.”
“The first layer of this tragedy is seeing young lives ended this way, or people hurt and scarred forever,” he said. “Then you quickly realize it may have happened because of human mistakes… and the worst part is that the authorities may have been complacent. All these layers add up to an incomprehensible nightmare, making it hard to accept.”
He added, “The whole world is watching because if this can happen in Switzerland, one of the world’s richest countries, where could it not happen? What led to this tragedy, and how can we ensure it never happens anywhere else?”
Authorities are already taking action. As thousands of bars, restaurants, and nightspots were inspected in Crans-Montana and nearby towns, new safety measures were announced in the canton of Vaud, where Lausanne is located.
As normal life resumes after the holidays, the tragedy still dominates conversations. “It’s definitely on everyone’s minds. With everything else suddenly happening in the world, people are overwhelmed,” said Ronnow.
“But what has been shocking for me and many others is that, even though the focus has been on Le Constellation, it could easily have happened elsewhere. When I go to a nightclub, it’s really common to see bottles with sparklers. There’s now a big push to check safety regulations, but people are thinking: ‘It could have been me.'”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the tragic fire at Le Constellation bar in Switzerland framed in a natural conversational tone
Basic Facts The Event
1 What happened at Le Constellation bar
A devastating fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar in Vallorbe Switzerland The blaze resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries shocking the local community and the country
2 When did the fire happen
The fire occurred in the early hours of a Saturday morning in late July 2024
3 Where is Vallorbe
Vallorbe is a small town in the canton of Vaud in western Switzerland near the French border
4 Who has been arrested
The owner of Le Constellation bar has been taken into custody Authorities have not released the individuals name publicly referring to them as the manager of the establishment
5 Why was the owner arrested
The owner was arrested on suspicion of arson Prosecutors are investigating whether the fire was intentionally set The arrest does not mean guilt is proven it allows for deeper questioning and investigation
Understanding the Legal Emotional Response
6 What does grief turns to anger mean in this context
It describes the emotional shift in the community The initial profound sadness and shock over the loss of life is now mixed with fury and demands for accountability especially following the owners arrest on suspicion of arson
7 What is the owner being accused of
The primary accusation is arson with fatal consequences which is a very serious crime under Swiss law The investigation will determine if the fire was set deliberately and if negligence played a role
8 What could the possible motives be
Authorities have not stated a motive In cases like this speculation often includes financial problems personal conflicts or intentional harm The investigation will seek to establish this
9 What happens next in the legal process
The owner will remain in custody while the investigation continues Prosecutors will gather evidence They will then decide whether to formally indict and bring the case to trial which could take months or years
10 What are the potential penalties if found guilty
In Switzerland arson causing death can lead to a severe prison sentence potentially up to 20 years or more depending on
