THIS is the shocking moment sparklers nearly set a Swiss bar on fire six years before the catastrophic New Year’s Eve blaze that killed 40 people and left 116 injured.
Newly emerged footage shows a staff member at a packed ski bar desperately shouting for revellers to move sparklers away from the ceiling.
The moment sparklers nearly caused another deadly inferno six years agoCredit: bastion media
Newly emerged footage shows a staff member desperately shouting at revellers to move sparklers awayCredit: bastion media
The video has emerged six years after the deadly inferno at Le Constellation nightclubCredit: Le Constellation
The warning occurred six years before the deadly inferno at Le Constellation nightclub.
The chilling video, filmed on New Year’s Eve 2019, captures a waiter repeatedly yelling: “Watch out for the foam, watch out for the foam,” as a sparkler wedged into a champagne bottle drifts dangerously close to the roof.
At the time, disaster was narrowly avoided.
But on New Year’s Eve years later, that same warning came far too late.
The footage was sent to Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) by a guest who was inside Le Constellation nightclub in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on the night the clip was filmed.
“I remember, we were very close to the ceiling, and that’s even why the waiter made that comment […] As an adult, he realised there might be a risk,” she said.
Swiss authorities now say that exact risk became reality when the bar went up in flames, killing 40 people and leaving 116 injured – many with severe, third-degree burns.
Investigators believe the inferno was sparked when wait staff waved champagne bottles plugged with sparklers too close to the ceiling, which was lined with flammable sound-proofing foam panels.
The blaze is thought to have erupted at around 1.30am and rapidly developed into a deadly “flashover”, igniting much of the venue within seconds and filling the basement with toxic smoke, leaving partygoers with almost no chance of escape.
Swiss attorney general Beatrice Pilloud said: “Everything suggests that the fire started with incandescent candles placed in champagne bottles, which were brought too close to the ceiling, causing a rapid and widespread conflagration.”
The nightclub, described by investigators as a “deathtrap”, had not undergone a safety inspection for five years – despite being legally required to be checked annually.
Article 8 of the local fire prevention code states that inspections must take place “every year in buildings open to the public or presenting special risks”.
Yet Le Constellation had not been checked, audited or inspected between 2020 and 2025.
Crans-Montana mayor Nicolas Féraud admitted the failure, saying: “No inspections of the Constellation bar were carried out between 2020 and 2025. We bitterly regret this.”
He added: “There’s no question of shirking our responsibilities,” while insisting accountability now rests with the courts: “We trust in the justice system.”
Pressed on how the lapse was allowed to happen, he said: “I have no answer for you today.”
“We’re profoundly sorry about that and I know how hard that will be for the families,” he added.
He said it was “down to the judges to know whether we’ll be part of this case or not”, and claimed the city also saw itself as a victim.
“I would have much preferred these people come and shout at my door and say: ‘This is a question of not if but when,’” he said.
“It is very easy to come and cry and scream now at us but how about before?”
A criminal investigation has been launched into the bar’s French owners, Jacques Moretti and his wife Jessica, who managed Le Constellation.
The couple are suspected of manslaughter, bodily harm and causing a fire – all by way of negligence – though they have not been formally charged and remain free to travel.
They were questioned by Swiss prosecutors on Friday and are currently assisting the investigation.
A deadly fire in a bar in Switzerland has resulted in approximately 40 fatalities and 100 injuries.Credit: Supplied
Investigators believe the inferno six years later was sparked when wait staff waved champagne bottles plugged with sparklers too close to the ceilingCredit: Supplied
The blaze is thought to have erupted at around 1.30am and rapidly developed into a deadly “flashover”Credit: x.com
Prosecutors have said they will pursue charges of “arson by negligence” and “manslaughter by negligence” if criminal liability is established.
Moretti has denied wrongdoing and claimed his bar “followed all safety regulations”, despite reportedly being inspected only “three times in ten years”.
He was not at the bar on the night of the fire however his wife was, and suffered a burned arm.
Investigators are examining whether the sound-proofing material used on the ceiling complied with safety standards.
Former staff have alleged serious safety failures, claiming fire extinguishers were kept under lock and key and that emergency exits were often locked.
The tragedy has also renewed scrutiny of Moretti’s criminal past.
French media report that he is well known to authorities, having been imprisoned in Savoie in 2005.
Le Parisien wrote: “According to our information, Jacques Moretti is no stranger to the French justice system.
“He is known for pimping cases dating back some twenty years, as well as for a kidnapping and confinement case. He was imprisoned in Savoie.”
RTL reported: “The Corsican–born man in his sixties was imprisoned in Savoie in 2005, for involvement in cases of pimping, fraud, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.”
Moretti was also jailed in 2008 over the so-called “Hot Rabbit” case, receiving a one-year sentence, with eight months suspended.
A former waitress, identified as Sarah, claimed the owner encouraged staff to exploit their sexuality.
She told BFM: “I stopped working with the Morettis because [the bar] was clearly a mess. The owner asked us to wear revealing clothes to encourage spending, but I refused because that wasn’t in line with my values.”
Le Constellation, built in 1977, was extended in 2015 to include an outdoor covered terrace.
Inspectors assessed the new exterior – but not changes made inside the club.
As the legal fallout grows, the human cost has become devastatingly clear.
Forty people from seven countries were killed, including 26 aged between 14 and 18.
Some victims were burned beyond recognition and identified only through DNA analysis.
Swiss authorities say more than half of the victims were under 18.
Among the dead were Swiss sisters Alicia and Diana Gunst, aged 15 and 14, and French producer Matéo Lesguer.
Other victims included a 15-year-old girl with British-French-Israeli nationality; a Swiss national, Charlotte Niddam, who had attended Immanuel College in Bushey and JFS in north-west London; and hero teenage boxer Benjamin Johnson, 18, who died trying to save a friend.
His father, Matthew Johnson, is a British expat originally from Bradford.
The Swiss Boxing Federation said: “Benjamin left us as a hero, helping his friend.”
Its president added his final act “perfectly reflects who he was: someone who always helped others”.
Swiss national Arthur Brodard, 16, was also among the dead.
His mother Laetitia said her son’s final message read: “Happy New Year, mum”.
“Our Arthur has now left to party in paradise,” she said.
“We can start our mourning, knowing that he is in peace and in the light.”
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As of Monday afternoon, 83 of the 116 injured remained in hospital, some still fighting for their lives.
Funerals are taking place across Europe this week, as Swiss prosecutors continue investigating what they now believe was not just a tragic accident – but a catastrophe years in the making.
Police officers stand guard at the site of an explosion that ripped through a bar in Crans-Montana on NYECredit: AFP
Investigators are examining whether the sound-proofing material used on the ceiling complied with safety standardsCredit: Supplied
