In the Swiss resort town of Crans-Montana, where 40 people perished in a New Year's Eve fire at a popular bar, the establishment's owner has revealed that a service door had been locked from the inside. Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Constellation bar, made this disclosure to investigators probing the tragedy.
According to reports, Most of those who died were teenagers, with 116 others injured in the disaster. Moretti claimed he only found out about the locked door after the fire broke out, and upon arriving at the scene, he forced it open, reportedly finding several people lying behind it.
The investigation so far suggests that a sparkler ignited soundproofing foam on the ceiling of the bar's basement. The owner has maintained that he had carried out tests and found the candles to be insufficiently powerful to ignite the foam, which he had purchased at a DIY store during renovations in 2015.
Moretti also acknowledged that his bar prohibited minors under 16 but admitted that there may have been an error in the security protocols. His wife and co-owner Jessica was released after a hearing on Friday.
The couple is facing allegations of negligent homicide, bodily harm, and arson.
According to reports, Most of those who died were teenagers, with 116 others injured in the disaster. Moretti claimed he only found out about the locked door after the fire broke out, and upon arriving at the scene, he forced it open, reportedly finding several people lying behind it.
The investigation so far suggests that a sparkler ignited soundproofing foam on the ceiling of the bar's basement. The owner has maintained that he had carried out tests and found the candles to be insufficiently powerful to ignite the foam, which he had purchased at a DIY store during renovations in 2015.
Moretti also acknowledged that his bar prohibited minors under 16 but admitted that there may have been an error in the security protocols. His wife and co-owner Jessica was released after a hearing on Friday.
The couple is facing allegations of negligent homicide, bodily harm, and arson.
, i cant even imagine if something like this happened at our school's party ... so many teenagers lost their lives and 116 others were hurt... that service door thing just sounds so reckless 
what was the owner thinking locking it from the inside?! and then not checking on the people behind the door? like, how could he not know about that?! 
the investigation is saying that a sparkler might have started the fire but i mean, shouldn't the bar be more careful with safety measures than that?! the fact that his wife was released after a hearing just adds to my frustration... it's all so wrong 
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It's all so confusing. I hope they find out what really happened and hold those responsible accountable 
Just heard about this crazy fire incident in Crans-Montana and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it... 40 people lost their lives, that's just devastating. And now the owner is saying a locked door was on purpose? Like, what kind of logic is that? 
How could he not notice that something was off before the fire even started? The fact that most of those who died were teenagers is just heartbreaking. It's all so avoidable... 
and now there are allegations of arson which makes it even more mind-boggling. It's like, what went wrong here? And poor Jessica being released already? 
My thoughts are with the families of the victims and I hope justice is served.
. what were they thinking serving minors in a bar that didn't even have proper security measures? not exactly a case of "it was an accident" 
. also, what's up with the fire breaking out at the bottom of the bar? that soundproofing foam was meant to reduce noise pollution, not create a hazard 
. can't wait for more info 
?! 40 people dead and 116 injured? that's just crazy! i mean, i know sparklers can be a fire hazard, but come on... shouldn't they have been more careful? the fact that the door was locked from the inside is pretty suspicious too. it's like, what if someone had gotten trapped behind that door for god sake?! 
