No fire safety checks for five years at Swiss bar where 40 died, says mayor

Geneva [Switzerland], January 7: No fire safety checks had been carried out for five years at the bar where a massive blaze killed 40 people in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, the mayor said on Tuesday, as a ban on sparklers in local venues was announced.
There were no inspections between 2020 and 2025, the mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Feraud, said. In 2025, only an acoustic assessment was carried out, which raised no objections, he added.
"We deeply regret this," Feraud said. During inspections in 2019 and earlier, the insulation material on the ceiling was never identified as an issue, he said.
Investigators believe the disaster at the popular Le Constellation bar during New Year's Eve celebrations was triggered by a sparkler attached to a bottle that set fire to foam insulation on the ceiling. The blaze quickly tore through the crowded bar's basement area, trapping many of the revellers inside.
Source: Qatar Tribune