Swiss ski resort bar owner detained after deadly New Year’s Eve fire

One of the two co-owners of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire on New Year’s Eve has been arrested.

Swiss prosecutors said Jacques Moretti, a French national, posed a potential flight risk. He and his wife Jessica, also French, are suspected of negligent homicide, negligent battery and negligent arson.

The fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana left 116 injured. Most of the victims were under the age of 20. The fire is believed to have been started by sparklers placed in champagne bottles placed too close to the ceiling during celebrations.

It emerged this week that the bar at the popular ski resort has not had a safety check for five years.

The decision to detain Jacques Moretti was taken after he and his wife, who own the bar together, were questioned on Friday by the public prosecutor’s office in the Swiss canton of Valais.

Under Swiss law, the person under investigation is kept in detention until a court decision is rendered within 48 hours.

The couple had already been placed under criminal investigation.

The co-owners said they were “devastated”, pledging to “cooperate fully” with the ongoing investigation.

Prosecutors said they believe the fire started when people celebrating the New Year raised champagne bottles fitted with sparklers, igniting the sound-deadening foam on the ceiling of the basement bar.

On Friday, Switzerland observed a minute of silence on the occasion of the national day of mourning in memory of the victims of the fire.

Church bells then rang for five minutes across the country.

Trains and trams stopped and Zurich Airport briefly halted operations.

During a local commemoration organized in Crans-Montana, the firefighters received a standing ovation.

The news that the bar had not been inspected for five years shocked the victims’ families.

Romain Jordan, who represents some families, said earlier this week that “the staggering number of violations and inspection deficiencies raises the question of whether the municipality should be investigated even more urgently.”

Places like Le Constellation should have been inspected every year, but Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Feraud said Tuesday he could not explain why this had not been done for so long at this bar.

“We regret it, we owe it to the families and we will accept responsibility,” he said.

He added that sparklers would be banned in local venues.

Most of the victims of the fire were young people: eight were under 16 years old.

Many injured people suffered serious burns and were treated in Switzerland and other European countries.

The funerals of some of the deceased took place.