Memorial honouring ski resort fire victims ignites near burned-out bar
Iain Hoey
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Memorial fire damages tribute site near Crans-Montana
A memorial for victims of a deadly fire at a New Year party in Switzerland caught fire early on Sunday, with police saying candles left burning inside were the likely cause.
The Guardian reported the details from a statement by regional police in the south-western canton of Valais.
The memorial was a makeshift tribute to 41 people killed and 115 injured in a fire that erupted in the early hours of 1 January at Le Constellation bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana.
It was laden with flowers, candles and messages of condolence and had been set up near the site of the tragedy.
Regional police said it caught alight shortly before 6am on Sunday.
Images broadcast by Swiss public broadcaster RTS showed the blackened top of a white, igloo-like tarpaulin erected over the memorial to protect it from the weather, visible behind a white screen and police tape.
Police said: “Thanks to the rapid intervention of the emergency services, the fire was quickly brought under control,”
No one was injured in the fire at the memorial, police said.
Police said several commemorative objects were damaged by the flames.
A large book of remembrance, filled with messages of condolence left by those who have visited the memorial over the past five weeks, was saved, police said.
Investigation opened into cause of blaze
Police said an investigation had been opened into what caused the blaze at the memorial.
The memorial had initially been placed in front of the burned-out bar and had recently been moved a bit farther away.
Police said: “According to initial reports, the fire started near the candles placed on a table in the centre of the memorial.”
Police said: “At this stage, third-party involvement can be ruled out.”
Investigators believe the New Year inferno at Le Constellation started when champagne bottles with sparklers attached were raised too close to a ceiling in a bar crowded with revellers, igniting sound insulation foam.
The French couple who co-owned the bar, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
Crans-Montana’s head of public safety and a former local fire safety officer are also under criminal investigation in connection with the blaze at the bar.
The bar had not undergone mandatory annual fire inspections since 2019.
Family members voiced consternation after learning of the fire at the memorial.
Brodard-Sitre posted on Facebook: “What to say?
“It is the municipality’s responsibility to ensure a memorial that is secure.”