The manager of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire while ringing in the New Year was allegedly filmed fleeing with a till full of cash as the blaze took hold.
Jessica Moretti, 40, is accused of ignoring revellers as flames consumed Le Constellation in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, and making off with the evening’s takings, Italy‘s La Repubblica news outlet claims.
She is already under investigation for manslaughter, as well as causing bodily harm to 119 others who suffered horrific burns as they celebrated in the Swiss Alps.
The bar manager, who is French, sustained a burn to one of her arms as the inferno tore through Le Constellation and France‘s Public newspaper questioned whether this had been ‘sustained while she was retrieving the cash register’.
Dozens of people tried desperately to escape the venue, and pleaded for first aid, at the time she disappeared.
The fire is believed to have been caused as staff waved champagne bottles plugged with sparklers close to the ceiling.
Investigators believe it then rapidly developed into a ‘flashover’ – likely igniting much of the venue in seconds and rendering escape almost impossible.
Her husband Jacques Moretti, 49, owned the bar. Both are suspects in the criminal enquiry into the fire, although neither has been arrested.
Jacques and Jessica Moretti who owned the Swiss ski bar, Le Constellation. Ms Moretti was allegedly filmed fleeing with a till as a fire which killed 40 New Year revellers took hold
A photo appears to show the moment champagne sparklers set fire to material on the ceiling of the Swiss nightclub
Former staff have also claimed that safety standards at the club were poor, alleging that fire extinguishers were kept under lock and key and that the bar’s emergency exit was often locked.
Mr Moretti is believed to have not been at Le Constellation on the night of the fire, and instead left his wife in charge of the popular bar.
The Morettis, who were both born on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, took over the venue in 2015 and own a home nearby, as well as one on the French Riviera.
They were questioned by Swiss prosecutors on Friday.
They have indicated that they will open an enquiry into ‘arson by negligence’ and ‘manslaughter by negligence’ if ‘criminal liability is established’.
Mr Moretti has claimed his bar ‘followed all safety regulations’, despite being inspected only ‘three times in ten years’ by health and safety officials.
On Tuesday, they said they were ‘devastated and overwhelmed with grief’ following the inferno and added they would ‘in no way seek to shirk their responsibilities’.
In a joint statement, they added: ‘Words cannot adequately describe the tragedy that unfolded that night at Le Constellation.’
They insisted they would ‘cooperate fully’ with the investigation.
The funerals of the six Italian teenagers killed in the blaze were being held on Wednesday.
Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo, both sixteen, were buried in Milan, while services for victims Giovanni Tamburi and Riccardo Minghetti were held in Bologna and Rome, respectively.
The family of Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old golf prodigy from Genoa, asked for privacy and chose not to disclose the time and location of his funeral.
Flowers and candles are pictured on Monday in tribute to the victims of the fire at Le Constellation bar and lounge in Crans-Montana, Switzerland
A signboard of Le Constellation bar, after a fire and explosion during a New Year’s Eve party where several people died and others were injured
A service for Sofia Prosperi, an Italian and Swiss national, took place in her home town of Lugano.
Schools across Italy on Wednesday also held a minute’s silence to honour the victims.
Forty people hailing from seven different countries were killed: 26 of those were aged between 14 and 18. Some were burnt beyond recognition and were only identified through the use of DNA analysis.
Among the dead were 10 Swiss males aged 16 to 31; 11 Swiss females aged 14 to 24; one 24-year-old woman who held dual Swiss-French nationality; three 16-year-old Italian boys and two Italian girls aged 15 and 16, and five French males aged 14 to 39.
Two French women aged 33 and 26; a 15-year-old girl with triple British-French-Israeli nationality; a 16-year-old boy who held dual Italian-UAE nationality; an 18-year-old Romanian boy; a Belgian 17-year-old girl; a Portuguese 22-year-old woman and an 18-year-old Turkish boy were also identified.
Another 116 were injured, some of them still fighting for their lives.
Speaking at a press conference five days after the tragedy, Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Feraud said that no periodic safety inspections had been carried out since 2019 at Le Constellation.
He said: ‘We are profoundly sorry. We did not have an indication that the checks had not been done.
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Pallbearers carry the coffin of 16-year-old Riccardo Minghetti, who died in the fire, during his funeral at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome, Italy, on Wednesday
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Mourners hug each other during the funeral of 16-year-old Riccardo Minghetti
‘We regret that – we owe it to the families and we will accept the responsibility.’
The mayor also confirmed he would not be resigning, telling reporters that he and his officials were elected by the people of Crans-Montana and that they have to be there to help residents.
Mr Feraud said that the soundproof foam used in the bar was considered acceptable at the time.
All sparkler candles have now been banned inside venues, the mayor added.
The local council are looking at why this happened, which will include a full audit of all venues in the area and ensure more checks are carried out, Mr Feraud said.
He added that it is ‘down to the judges’ to determine who is responsible.
In a statement issued at the press conference, the Municipality of Crans-Montana said it had gone through all the documents in the file submitted to the Wallis canton public prosecutor’s office following the fire.
It said the documents detail ‘administrative procedures relating to the establishment’s compliance’.
