Investigators are examining if the ceiling’s soundproofing materials met safety standards and whether the candles used in the bar were authorized.
In Valais, regulations mandate that public buildings undergo annual fire safety inspections. Regional authorities emphasize that these inspections are under the jurisdiction of the local municipality.
On Tuesday, officials from Crans-Montana revealed that Le Constellation had undergone inspections, including fire safety assessments, in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Although some modifications had been suggested, no concerns about the soundproofing were noted during those evaluations.
Upon reviewing records post-fire, the local council found that “periodic checks were not conducted between 2020 and 2025,” as stated by Nicolas Féraud, head of the Crans-Montana municipal government, during a press briefing.
“We deeply regret this oversight,” Féraud expressed, noting that judicial authorities will need to determine the impact of this lapse on the circumstances leading to the fire.
Féraud admitted he could not immediately account for the prolonged absence of safety inspections.
Féraud said that, in September last year, an external expert had been asked to carry out a soundproofing analysis and had concluded that the bar complied with anti-noise rules, without making further remarks.
The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims of the fire that broke out at about 1.30am on New Year’s Day, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples.
Investigators finished identifying the 40 dead on Sunday and said on Monday that they had identified all 116 people who were injured, from several countries.
On Monday, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that it was opening a probe to assist the Swiss investigation and make it easier for families of French victims to communicate with Swiss investigators.
Nine French citizens were killed, the youngest 14, and 23 were injured.
Féraud said reports from the inspections that were carried out mentioned a maximum capacity of 100 people on the bar’s ground floor and 100 in its basement.
It’s unclear how many people were in Le Constellation when the blaze broke out and investigators have said that may never be known.
The municipality said the bar’s owner obtained a permit to build a veranda in 2015 and also carried out interior work at the bar that did not require a permit.
It said it has now decided to ban the use of fireworks indoors and commission an external agency to carry out inspections of such establishments.
