THE owner of the Swiss nightclub where 40 people died in a deadly inferno has spoken out for the first time.
More than 200 young people celebrating the New Year were crammed into Le Constellation, a ritzy bar at the popular ski resort Crans-Montana, when the “flashover” inferno broke out – leaving 40 dead and hundreds with third degree burns.
Jacques Moretti, 49, the owner of the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, spoke briefly with 24 hours, saying: “Everything was done according to the standards”.
The distraught French national refused a long interview with the local media outlet, saying he was “not well” following the horrific New Year’s Day tragedy which unfolded at his establishment.
It’s understood Moretti was not at the venue on the night; however, it has been reported Jessica was, suffering burns to her arm.
Moretti and his wife Jessica, 40, bought the venue in 2015, turning it from a rundown café into a party hotspot for the après-ski crowd.
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He said since taking on the venue, it had been inspected three times in 10 years.
It’s understood Moretti did a lot of refurbishment work himself, taking six months to transform the space.
The couple have been interviewed by police, as experts scour the charred shell of Le Constellation to begin the horrible task to identify victims who didn’t make it out of the bar.
Attorney general Beatrice Pilloud said a preliminary probe would examine the cause of the fire, which is believed to have been started by champagne bottles fitted with sparklers.
But she would not rule out a criminal investigation.
She told a press conference: “Several people have been interviewed and observations have been made on the premises.”
“We will also focus on the number of people who were present at the party, the number of people that the bar is authorized to host, the exit routes and the access routes into the premises.”
She said they would then determine whether any individuals bear “criminal liability” for the tragedy, and if they were still alive to face negligence charges in the future.
Partygoers as young as 14 were welcoming in 2026 and were seen cheering and dancing with sparklers in champagne bottles before sound-proof cladding caught alight and engulfed the venue in flames.
The blaze – which left another 119 people with horrific injuries – started just hours after midnight at the bar in the upmarket Alpine resort.
Tragically, authorities have confirmed 40 people are dead.
Valais’ Minister of Security, Stéphane Ganzer, confirmed the municipality was responsible for checking buildings annually.
In a press conference, he said, to his knowledge and without knowing the precise date of the last inspection, no report indicating any defects had been issued for the bar in question.
The first of the dead to be identified was 16-year-old Emanuele Galeppini, an Italian golfer.
Other families now face an “unbearable” wait for victims to be identified after officials said the process will “take time” – and potentially last several days.
A witness identified only as Emma told BFM: “Some of the bottles were near the ceiling, and it caught fire.
“The whole ceiling was in flames and the fire spread really fast.
“It happened in seconds. We ran outside, screaming and crying.”
A local police spokesman confirmed that “dozens of pyrotechnic devices in bottles” lined tables in the basement of the bar.
As the fire raged into an inferno, partygoers tried to escape, but the exit staircase was narrow.
One brave survivor told of how he fought through the surging flames and made for a narrow staircase before scrambling to safety.
Student Ferdinand Du Beaudiez, 19, was partying with seven pals – including his brother and girlfriend – at Le Constellation when it went up in flames.
But he refused to leave his friends and brother to perish and ran back in to find them.
Ferdinand, who was holidaying with family in the Alps, told The Sun: “I went back inside and I found someone lying on the stairs.
“They were completely burned.”
Ferdinand said that the body was so charred he could only see their teeth.
The teen said: “I couldn’t recognise whether it was a woman or a man. I could only see teeth.”
The desperate search
Desperate families of youngsters still missing after a deadly inferno engulfed a Swiss bar have begged for information on their loved ones.
Teenagers as young as 14 have not been seen or heard from since the disastrous New Year’s Eve celebration.
Their panicked families have released heartbreaking appeals in the hope of finding their whereabouts after at least 40 were killed and 119 were injured.
Photos documenting the missing persons, mostly teenagers and young people, with their names, dates of birth, and relatives’ contact details, have been posted on social media.
Two girls, aged just 14 and 15, are among the missing. They are believed to be sisters.
Family members of Diana and Alicia Gonset posted a beautiful photograph of the girls standing side by side dressed in party attire.
They were possibly with Charlotte Niddam, also missing, on the night of the tragedy.
Laetitia Brodard-Sitre from western Switzerland is searching for her child, Arthur.
She posted a photo of her son on her Facebook feed with the words: “My son Arthur Brodard, born February 22, 2009, is among the victims of the fire in Crans-Montana.
“We don’t know if he’s alive or where he is. If you have any information about which hospital he’s in, please contact me. Share.”