The co-owner of the Swiss bar engulfed in a New Year’s Eve inferno has insisted that he and his wife did not break any safety rules.
“Everything was done according to the rules,” Jacques Moretti, 49, who owns Le Constellation, in Crans-Montana, with his wife Jessica, told 24 Heures.
He added that the bar in the ski resort town had been inspected “three times in 10 years” before ending the call with a reporter from the Swiss-French media outlet, saying he did not feel well.
On Friday, the Morettis were interviewed by Swiss authorities over the fire, which killed at least 40 people, many of them feared to be children. More than 100 are still missing.
Images of the moment when the fire started in the basement of Le Constellation show revellers waving sparkler-topped champagne bottles as the ceiling catches alight. The French co-owners also face questions about the venue’s fire escapes.
The sparklers were lit despite a general ban on fireworks imposed earlier in the week by the municipality of Crans-Montana because of safety concerns.
On Friday, Antonio Tajani, the Italian foreign minister, criticised their use as he laid flowers at the scene for Italian victims, saying: “The use of fireworks in the venue, however small, does not seem to me to be a responsible choice.”
The bar’s co-owners took over Le Constellation in 2015. Jessica Moretti, 40, was inside when the blaze broke out and suffered burns to her arm.
Jean-Thomas Filippini, a friend of the couple, confirmed that they were alive and said he had spoken to them. “I tried to reach my friends all night. Around 5am, the woman finally got in touch and told me that they were alive and that it was a catastrophe,” he said.
Another source told the Swiss tabloid Blick: “Both of them are in complete shock.”
Neither of them has yet publicly spoken about the fire, which started in the basement at around 1.30am on New Year’s Day while at least 100 people were inside.
Béatrice Pilloud, the Swiss prosecutor, has said the investigation into the blaze will explore whether the bar had followed safety protocols.
Investigators are said to be focusing on an insulation-like foam material on the basement’s ceiling, which is seen catching alight in images released of the bar on the night of the blaze.
According to media reports, the material is likely to be acoustic polyurethane, a cheap but highly flammable form of sound insulation.
Stato Quotidiano, an Italian news outlet, noted that strict rules in Switzerland forbade the use of any flammable materials in underground public spaces.
The bar is also facing accusations of letting in underage children, including some as young as 13, according to French media. Le Constellation has not responded to the allegations.
“Most of the discos only accept adults, and Le Constellation was the only place where you could go at 16, although in reality there were also younger kids who said ‘they don’t check [for ID] anyway’,” a 13-year-old customer of the bar told the French news outlet BFMTV.
They added that, as a result, they feared that a large number of the dead could be children younger than 16.
Another witness, Samuel Rapp, 21, told Blick: “Normally, very young people between the ages of 16 and 18 are out and about there.”
Romain Kallergis, whose 15-year-old sister Alice is missing after the fire, claimed alcohol was being served to children at the venue.
“I want you to know that most of the people I saw there that night were children, and we’re talking about ages 13 and 15. The entrance was open to everyone. This is illegal. They were serving alcohol to minors and there was no security at this particular club,” he told Proto Thema, a Greek news outlet.
Online reviews for Le Constellation show that it received a safety rating of only 6.5 on the travel website Wheree.com, and had faced complaints about unprofessional staff.
“Despite its visually stunning setup, Le Constellation faces challenges in customer service that have been highlighted in numerous reviews. Patrons have expressed disappointment regarding interactions with staff, noting a lack of professionalism and attentiveness,” according to the Wheree.com entry.
“Customer service has been repeatedly criticised for being unprofessional and confrontational, detracting from the overall experience.”
The Morettis are well-known figures in the Swiss hospitality industry, having moved to Crans-Montana from the Mediterranean island of Corsica.
In addition to owning Le Constellation, they are the proprietors of the restaurants Le Vieux Chalet, in the village of Lens, and Le Senso, in Crans-Montana.
According to Jessica Moretti’s page on LinkedIn, she was educated in Britain at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, where she received a bachelor’s degree.
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.