People gather around a makeshift memorial to pay their respect by laying flowers, candles and messages near the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana on January 6, 2026, in honour of the victims of the fire that ripped through the venue in the luxury Alpine ski resort on New Year's Eve. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
Families of the victims of a deadly Swiss bar fire were shocked to learn that no fire safety inspections had been conducted at the premises for five years, one of their lawyers said.
Romain Jordan, who is representing several families, told AFP his clients "received with dismay" information from municipal authorities in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana acknowledging failings in the fire safety checks at Le Constellation bar.
"The staggering number of breaches and shortcomings in the inspections raises the question of whether the municipality should be investigated with even greater urgency," he added.
And "we would have liked to hear an apology, especially five days after the incident", Jordan added.
The fire, which broke out early Thursday (local time) as people celebrated the New Year, killed 40 people and injured 116 others. A total of 19 nationalities were among the fatalities and the wounded.
Prosecutors have said they believe the fire started when people celebrating the New Year raised champagne bottles with sparklers attached, setting light to sound-insulating foam on the ceiling in the bar's basement level.
Although inspections including fire safety were conducted in 2016, 2018 and 2019, "periodic inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025. We bitterly regret this," Crans-Montana mayor Nicolas Feraud told a press conference.
"The municipality and all the authorities must fully assume their responsibilities," said Jordan.
Sebastien Fanti, a lawyer representing four families of the injured, told AFP: "Taking responsibility is essential."
Feraud said he did not know why the inspections had not been carried out.
Shortly after the tragedy, he told reporters there had been no negligence on the municipality's part, but on Tuesday said: "It's obvious that I can't maintain that."
Fanti said there were 128 public establishments that the municipality needed to inspect, and only 13 of them were bars.
"Normally, when addressing a risk, one always begins by inspecting the places where the risks could materialise," he said.
"Le Constellation is one of the five highest-risk locations" in the municipality, he said.
Crans-Montana municipality has chosen to become a civil party in the proceedings, in order to gain access to the case file.
"For the municipality to try to portray itself as a victim amounts to stripping the true victims of this tragedy of their status, which is unacceptable," said Jordan.
Of the 40 people killed, 26 were teenagers.
- AFP