Switzerland: Memorial for 41 victims bar fire catches alight
A memorial honouring the victims of the New Year’s Eve bar fire in Switzerland that killed 41 people caught fire. Swiss police opened an investigation after the tribute, situated near the site of Le Constellation bar in the Swiss resort town of Crans-Montana, caught fire at 6am on Sunday.Photos of the burnt tribute show a scorched tent which was previously adorned with flowers, toys and messages placed by mourners.The flames were brought under control by firefighters and no injuries have been reported.The police believe the fire was likely caused by candles placed in the memorial.They said in a statement: “According to initial reports, the fire started near the candles placed on a table in the centre of the memorial.“At this stage, third-party involvement can be ruled out.”On New Year's Day, a fire broke out in Le Constellation bar, which was full of people celebrating the holiday. The memorial was adorned with candles | GETTYThe blaze killed 41 people, with a further 116 people injured, 83 of them treated for severe burns.Many of those killed or injured were teenagers or young adults, who were seeing in the new year. The fire is believed to have started around 1.30am local time, by a sparkler making contact with the bar’s ceiling, which was clad with flammable acoustic foam. Seconds later, a severe fire blast occurred in the bar. Forty one people died in the fire | GETTYDue to the rate at which the fire spread, revellers found it difficult to escape, with emergency and main exits becoming blocked.The town’s head of public safety and former fire safety officer is under criminal investigation after it was discovered the bar had not had any safety checks for the last five years. Two managers of Le Consellation bar have been placed under criminal investigation. The owners of Le Constellation are also under investigation for involuntary homicide. The memorial set alight in the early hours of Sunday morning | REUTERSJacques Moretti, a 49-year-old French national from Corsica, and his wife Jessica, 40, from Cannes, are also suspected of negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.A Swiss court imposed a travel ban on Mrs Moretti in mid-January and Mr Moretti is being held in custody for an initial period of 90 days.Stories have circulated about the French couple since the fire, about their management of Le Constellation as well as their past. The owners deny wrongdoing.Those injured in the fire include people from Switzerland, France, Italy, Serbia, Poland, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Republic of the Congo.Twenty-one of the dead were from Switzerland, seven from France, and six from Italy.A Swiss-French dual national and a French-British-Israeli national were also among those who died.Eight of those injured by the fire were under the age of 16.
