Swiss bar owner put in pre-trial detention over the fatal fire at an
Alpine resort
[January 10, 2026]
MARTIGNY, Switzerland (AP) — Switzerland held a national day of mourning
on Friday for the 40 people who died in an Alpine bar fire during a New
Year’s Eve celebration, as prosecutors requested one of the managers to
be placed in pre-trial detention.
Valais region’s chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said in a statement
the detention of the man was needed to avoid a “risk of flight.” The
man's wife and co-manager will remain free under judicial supervision,
the statement said.
A Swiss business register lists French couple Jacques and Jessica
Moretti as the owners of Le Constellation bar, in the Alpine resort of
Crans-Montana, where a fire broke out less than two hours after midnight
on Jan. 1. As well as the fatalities, 116 people were injured, many of
them seriously.
Local media reported that Moretti was being held in custody pending the
court’s decision after the couple were questioned by prosecutors in Sion
on Friday morning.
Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the owners,
who are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and
involuntarily causing a fire.
A memorial service and a minute's silence marked Friday’s national
homage, while church bells across Switzerland rang out for five minutes,
beginning at 2 p.m.. Across the country, people gathered to light
candles, put down flowers for the victims and followed the national
ceremony that was livestreamed on public television.
Speaking at the memorial ceremony in Martigny, Swiss President Guy
Parmelin said that “the memory of that terrible night illuminates the
faces of the 156 victims, their happy days, their carefree spirit."
He added: "Our country is appalled by this tragedy. It bows before the
memory of those who are no longer with us. It stands by the bedside of
those who are about to embark on a long road to recovery.”
Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne
bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling.
Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the
ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were
permitted for use in the bar. Fire safety inspections hadn’t been
carried out since 2019.
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The owners of the "Le Constellation" bar in Crans-Montana, where the
deadly fire happened on New Year's Day, Jacques und Jessica Moretti
from France, center, arrive with their lawyers Patrick Michod, Yael
Hayat and Nicola Meier, to be auditioned by the Valais public
prosecutor's office in Sion, Switzerland, Friday, January 9, 2026.
(Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)
The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims,
requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples. Police
have said many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s.
An autopsy has been ordered for five of the six Italian victims and
has been delegated to the prosecutors' offices in Milan, Bologna,
and Genoa, where the bodies of the victims have been returned.
“What happened is not a disaster: It’s the result of too many people
who didn’t do their job or who thought they were making easy money,”
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said during a press conference on
Friday. “Those responsible must be identified and prosecuted.”
Meloni said the State Attorney General’s Office has contacted the
Swiss Attorney General to follow the investigation. She also
confirmed that the Rome Prosecutor’s Office has started a separate
probe.
“The families have my word that they will not be left alone while
they seek justice,” she added.
The Paris prosecutor’s office Monday announced that it was opening a
probe to assist the Swiss investigation and make it easier for
families of French victims to communicate with Swiss investigators.
Nine French citizens were killed, the youngest of them aged 14, and
23 others were injured.
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