A harrowing new report from the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) has revealed a critical and criminal failure in the safety protocols of “Le Constellation,” the bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana where a horrific New Year’s Eve fire claimed 40 lives. According to the investigation, a key service door on the ground floor—which was designated as a secondary emergency escape route—was locked from the inside on the night of the disaster, effectively sealing dozens of patrons inside a burning tomb.
The “Death Trap”
The NZZ report, corroborated by findings from Italian investigators and leaked testimonies to Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS), indicates that while the door was intended to allow staff and pioneers to exit quickly in an emergency, it was deliberately kept closed to prevent unauthorized entry during the crowded celebrations.
As the fire took hold, the main exit quickly became a bottleneck of panic and crushing bodies. The unavailability of this alternative route turned the venue into a lethal trap. Forensic reports suggest that 34 of the 40 victims were found piled near the foot of the stairs and along the corridor leading to this locked door, having died from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries while clawing at the obstruction.
A Spark, A Flashover, A Nightmare
The fire, which broke out at approximately 1:30 AM on January 1, 2026, was sparked by pyrotechnic “fountain candles” attached to champagne bottles being paraded through the crowd. The sparks ignited the highly flammable acoustic foam (“sponge sound insulator”) lining the low ceiling.
Witnesses described a “flashover” effect—a phenomenon where the entire room reaches auto-ignition temperature simultaneously—engulfing the bar in seconds. The toll stands at 40 dead, half of whom were under the age of 18, and 116 injured, with over 80 victims suffering severe, life-altering burns that will require years of treatment.
Diplomatic Fury Over Owner’s Release
The tragedy has plunged Switzerland into mourning and sparked a judicial firestorm. Bar owner Jacques Moretti, who was arrested shortly after the blaze, was controversially released on bail this Sunday. The decision has triggered diplomatic fury, particularly from Italy, which lost six citizens in the blaze.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the release a “serious affront to the victims,” instructing her ambassador to lodge a formal protest with the Swiss prosecutor general. Swiss President Guy Parmelin, while acknowledging the anger, has defended the independence of the judiciary but reiterated that the fire remains “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever seen.”
As flowers pile up in the snow outside the blackened shell of Le Constellation, the revelation of the locked door has shifted the narrative from a tragic accident to one of gross negligence, fueling calls for manslaughter charges against the management who prioritized crowd control over human life.
