Swiss officials admit fire safety checks lapsed before deadly Crans-Montana bar blaze

Swiss authorities have acknowledged a failure to carry out routine fire safety inspections at a bar in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana

, where a New Year’s Eve fire killed 40 people and injured more than 100 others.

Le Constellation bar had not undergone periodic fire inspections for five years before the blaze, local officials confirmed on Tuesday. The fire broke out during New Year celebrations and left 116 people injured, with victims averaging just 19 years of age.

“Periodic inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025. We bitterly regret this,” Crans-Montana mayor Nicolas Feraud told a press conference, five days after the incident.

Authorities believe the fire was triggered when partygoers raised champagne bottles fitted with sparklers, which ignited sound-insulating foam on the ceiling of the bar’s basement.

In a statement, the municipality said it had reviewed all documentation submitted to the Wallis canton public prosecutor’s office as part of the investigation. The files relate to administrative procedures and the establishment’s compliance with safety regulations.

While noting that more than 1,400 fire inspections were carried out across the municipality in 2025 alone, the municipal council said it “deeply regrets” discovering that Le Constellation had not been inspected between 2020 and 2025.

Investigations into the cause of the fire and potential accountability are ongoing.