Switzerland Mourns Fire Victims as Country Seeks Answers; Insurers Assess Damages

With flags already at half-mast across Switzerland, a chorus of church bells rang out in churches across Switzerland at 2 p.m. Friday in memory of the 40 victims of a deadly fire in the mountain resort of Crans-Montana.

It was part of a memorial ceremony for the victims taking place in the nearby town of Martigny. Crans-Montana, in the French-speaking south west of the country, was blanketed in heavy snow, and television footage showed people gathered in the streets to watch a broadcast of the event.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella were among the dignitaries who came to Martigny. A number of French and Italians were among the victims, who came from 19 countries. Switzerland’s president Guy Parmelin had already described the fire, which took place in the early hours of New Year’s Day, as “one of the worst tragedies that our country has ever known.”

Read more: Fire Safety Inspections Lapsed for Years at Swiss Bar Where 40 Died in New Year’s Blaze

They lost their lives “in a bar that bore the name of collection of stars,” Parmelin said Friday, referencing the name of the establishment, Le Constellation. “They will continue to shine brightly from here on in our memories.”

As the ceremony took place, 24heures reported that the owner of the bar was taken into preventative detention because of potential flight risk, citing unnamed sources. The Valais cantonal prosecutor’s office, contacted by telephone, said requests for confirmation should be submitted by email, to which it didn’t immediately respond.

Prosecutors have been investigating the bar’s managers over alleged fire safety failures. Possible charges include homicide and bodily injury by negligence. The fire appears to have been triggered by sparklers held aloft in champagne bottles that caught fire to a highly-flammable, soundproofing foam on the ceiling.

As well as 40 fatalities, more than 100 were injured in the fire, many teenagers, and fellow citizens are asking how such a tragedy could unfold in a country that prides itself on safety, high standards and a top-drawer quality of life.

The scandal has shaken the country, particularly given the revelations about failures at the two-storey bar, and also by local authorities who are supposed to enforce fire safety. Officials have admitted that the bar hadn’t been checked and inspected for safety since 2019.

Turning to that exact question, Parmelin said that it’s “a moral responsibility as well as a duty of the state” to thoroughly examine what went wrong and sanction anyone responsible for those violations.

Insurers are also assessing the fallout from the event.

French insurer AXA SA said that it has provided liability insurance to Crans-Montana and a business liability insurance for “Le Constellation.” Both policies are “standard products” and the sum insured is limited, AXA’s Swiss unit said in a statement.

The disaster has become a tragic backdrop for a number of global events taking place in Switzerland in the coming weeks, including ski World Cup races and the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering of the global elite of executives and politicians in Davos.

Authorities in Davos said Thursday that they will have a “proven fire-safety regime” in place for the WEF event, which starts on Jan. 19. Fire services will operate at heightened alert during the event, the authority said. Additional crews will be deployed, including a special unit directly at the Congress Center — where key events take place.

Read more: Swiss Bar’s Owners Face Criminal Negligence Probe After Fire

Stores in Davos, even a church, are being repurposed into event spaces and multiple temporary structures have been constructed. All need approval and are inspected by the Graubünden cantonal building insurer.

It’s a similar story in Adelboden, where World Cup ski races are scheduled this weekend.

“The operators will do everything they can so that we won’t have a repeat of such an event,” Mayor Willy Schranz told SRF Radio this week. “We have a responsibility here.”

In Crans-Montana, a number of businesses that closed or reduced opening hours for a time after the fire are now trying to operate as normal again, as much as that’s possible.

On the town’s website, a message reads: “You are warmly invited to visit them with calm, respect and consideration during this time of shared sorrow.”

Photograph: EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib writes in a memorial book ahead of a tribute ceremony for the victims of the fire, in Martigny, on Jan. 9. 2025; photo credit: Pierre Albouy/AFP/Getty Images