An “avoidable tragedy”: the risks that led to the fire disaster in Switzerland

Authorities investigating the fire that killed 40 people and injured 119 at a ski resort in Switzerland on New Year’s Day are analyzing the building’s capacity, construction materials and evacuation routes. Those allegedly responsible will be criminally charged — if they are alive.

With devastated family members still waiting for the victims to be identified, Swiss investigators began to examine the security protocols and the condition of the bar building near the resort of Crans-Montana, where around 119 were injured in a fire early on New Year’s Day.

According to authorities, the fire started when fireworks were placed in champagne bottles. erected too close to the ceiling do local.

Beatrice Pilloudattorney general of the Swiss canton of Valais, said in a statement on Friday that the investigation — which could result in criminal charges — will focus on the construction materials used, operating licenses, the number of people inside the bar and the fire safety protocols in place, such as evacuation routes and access points for first aid.

Among the materials to be analyzed is the acoustic foamused for sound insulation, said Pilloud. The investigation will also determine whether the bar, called Constellation, had authorization to use fireworks inside, he added.

will be presented criminal charges for negligent arsonnegligent homicide and injuries to physical integrity due to negligence, if justified and if those allegedly responsible are alive, Pilloud further stated.

According to , authorities stressed that the police’s immediate priority is to support the families reunited in Crans-Montana and continue the process of identifying the victims.

The Valais police commander, Frédéric Gislerreported that 113 of the 119 injured have already been formally identified, including 71 Swiss, 14 French, 11 Italian and four Serbs. The identification of the 40 dead remains ongoing. Pilloud revealed that the two bar managers, both French citizens, have already been interviewed.

The Swiss newspaper contacted one of the bar’s owners by telephone, Jacques Moretti, which stated that the Constellation was “inspected three times in 10 years” and that “everything was done according to standards”. The newspaper cites local regulations and a cantonal deputy, who indicate that the legislation provides mandatory annual inspections.

The French press reported that Moretti wasn’t at the bar when the fire occurred, but his wife and co-owner, Jessica Moretti, was at the scene and suffered burns on his arm.

The fire started at around 1:30 am on Thursday and spread quickly, causing at least one explosion. The bar was filled mainly with young people, many Swiss, but also other nationalities, celebrating New Year in the picturesque Alpine village.

It’s not yet known how many people were inside at the time of the fire. Constellation has capacity for 300 people and a terrace for another 40, according to the local tourism agency. Many of the injured are in critical condition and the death toll could rise.

An “avoidable tragedy”

Fireworks throwing flames of around 30 centimeters. A roof covered by flammable foam. A crowded basementwith a narrow staircase that became a choke point.

These are some of the avoidable risks which fire experts, witnesses and an analysis of available images point to as having transformed a party bar in an alpine resort into a “death trap”, as the fire devastated the New Year’s party.

Investigators have not yet given a detailed explanation of the causes of the fire at Le Constellation, around 1:30 am on Thursday, which the Swiss president classified as one of the worst tragedies in the country’s history.

However, available information suggests that the tragedy involved security breaches.similar to those recorded in other deadly fires in crowded spaces, such as the 2003 fire in Rhode Island, which killed around 100 people, and the 2013 fire in , which killed more than 200 people.

Richard Meiera specialist in investigating fires and explosions in Florida, considers that it was an avoidable tragedy: “It’s a lesson we should have learned decades ago, but we continue to repeat it”.

The fireworks

Noah Bersier20 years old, marketing coordinator, was playing pool at the bar early on New Year’s Day when he noticed employees carrying him to several tables wine bottles with fireworks attached. These were the ones that caused the fire, sending sparks towards the ceiling.

The sale of pyrotechnic items such as these Is it legal in Switzerlandbut fire protection experts have long warned of the danger of its use in closed spaces. Photographs taken on the night of the fire show a particularly riskywith customers raising bottles with lit fireworks very close to the ceiling.

Bersier is unable to say whether fireworks started the fire, but remembers seeing the roof burning shortly after employees distributed them. “He was as if the entire ceiling had been soaked in something and caught fire instantly”, he reported, in a telephone interview with the NYT, from the hospital where he was recovering from serious burns.

Steven Badgeran American lawyer specializing in cases of fires in closed spaces, recalls that the risk associated with the use of fireworks indoors is well documented. “It is regrettable that we continue to have tragedies of this type, when We’ve seen this scenario over and over again”, these Badgers.

The flammable ceiling

To explain the rapid initial spread of flamesexperts point out the material foam that appeared to cover part of the ceiling. This foam, typically open-cell polyurethane, is used for sound insulation and is highly flammable.

As explained Olivier Burnierdirector of a Swiss fire safety engineering company, “in Switzerland we do not allow this material to be exposed in a room. It must be covered“. Burnier considers that the images suggest that the bar’s configuration did not comply with local safety regulations.

Regulations state that combustible materials can only be used if do not unacceptably increase the risktaking into account factors such as occupancy and building configuration. Materials with “critical” reaction to fire They cannot be used indoors unless they are fully covered.

The images from the bar show that the material covered much of the ceilingand a regular customer, who visited the bar days before the tragedy, told the NYT that the foam was detached in some spots and hung down several inches.

Samir Melly said he was drinking at Le Constellation two days before the disaster, when a construction friend was intrigued by the ceilingapparently loose.

“He was completely focused on the ceilingbecause he looked at it like a construction professional”, explained Melly. After the fire, Melly reported his friend’s concerns to the police, whowho called him on Friday to give testimony.

Arnaud Trouvéprofessor at the University of Maryland, specialist in fire protection engineering, says that foam should be the “first target” investigation, due to its potential for rapid flame spread.

“I can’t think of worse material to place on the ceiling of a public space. In addition to burning, it melts and the burning drops end up setting fire to what is underneath”, says Richard Meier.

The exits

Survivors question whether the bar had enough outletsreporting having been trapped in the narrow stairs as they tried to escape. Others broke glass to escape, while people outside said they had forced glass doors to help with evacuation.

Authorities confirmed the existence of a Emergency exitbut did not specify whether it was accessible from the basementwhere presumably the majority of customers were located.

Swiss safety regulations require that spaces with more than 100 people have two “vertical evacuation routes”such as stairs, when direct exits to the outside are not sufficient.

Davide D’Agostinoowner of an architecture firm in the same building as the bar, recalls that the existence of an emergency door was discussed when the Morettis took over the space. This door, he explained, it was next to the bathroom and opened onto stairs that went up to the building behind.

This raises questions about whether customers were sufficiently informed about alternative routes and whether they were properly signposted.

Nestor Fischer17 years old, who was abroad when the fire started, described how he and others tried to force a side glass door to help the rest get out.

“We tried to break it with a bench“, he said. “We tried to knock on the window, but it wouldn’t open.” The door would eventually give way, and Fischer, along with friends, helped guide people with cell phone flashlights.

“An accident like this, with Swiss regulations, should not be possible,” said Olivier Burnier. “But it happened, because there is a problem in law enforcement”.