In the early hours of January 1, 40 people perished in the fire at Le Constellation in Crans-Montana, while more than 100 were left injured, many suffering serious burns.
The bar’s owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are awaiting a possible trial on a range of charges, including manslaughter and causing bodily harm by negligence.
Highlights
- Cyane Panine, 24, is believed to have accidentally started the fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.
- The accident involving lit sparklers claimed the lives of 40 young people and left more than 100 with severe burn injuries.
- Cyane was reportedly working under the direction of the bar’s co-owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti.
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Jacques is currently in custody, while Jessica has been banned from leaving Switzerland before the trial.
Jessica is reported to have fled the scene following the tragedy, driving herself home with the till containing the night’s cash earnings.
The blaze is believed to have started when a waitress sat on a colleague’s shoulders holding two champagne bottles with sparklers attached. Flames from the sparklers then ignited soundproofing foam on the ceiling of the basement bar.
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Cyane Panine, the waitress believed to have accidentally started the Swiss bar blaze, has now been confirmed as one of the young people who lost their lives in the New Year’s Eve fire.
She was a 24-year-old French national who was close to the Morettis.
Jacques described Cyane, the girlfriend of a close family friend, as a “stepdaughter,” adding that he had raised her partner like one of his own children.
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The 49-year-old bar owner told investigators that when he unlocked the door after the fatal blaze, he discovered a pile of bodies on the floor, including that of the waitress Cyane.
Jacques also claimed that he only became aware that the Constellation’s door to the basement was “locked from the inside and on a latch” after the fire.
“We forced it open – it finally gave way in a few seconds. When the door opened, several people were lying on the floor, unconscious,” he said.
“My stepdaughter Cyane was one of them. We pulled them all outside and put them in the recovery position.”
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He and Cyane’s boyfriend “tried to resuscitate her for more than an hour in the street near the bar, until the emergency services told [them] it was too late.” An hour later, she was pronounced deceased.
According to Jessica, Cyane had spent Christmas with the Morettis, and the couple is “devastated” by her loss.
The 24-year-old was reportedly working under the Morettis’ instructions before the blaze.
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She had been told to “get the atmosphere going” because the night had been “very quiet,” with few people entering the bar to celebrate the New Year, according to police statements obtained by BFMTV.
The owners’ instructions reportedly involved encouraging waitresses to place sparklers in champagne bottles.
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“I was just telling Cyane that we needed to bring in more people to liven things up,” Jessica said.
Jacques told authorities that the bar had used sparklers for a decade without any accidents. The night of the tragedy was not the first time that waitstaff had sat on their colleagues’ shoulders with lit sparklers.
Cyane’s family issued a statement through their lawyers, as per Tages-Anzeiger.
“Whatever the investigation reveals, this young woman followed her employer’s instructions,” it read.
“She did what the manager asked of her. This was nothing unusual. This young employee bears no responsibility whatsoever.”
Authorities stated that the bar in the popular ski location had not undergone safety inspections for five years.
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Jacques told investigators that he went to the patio behind the bar after the blaze broke out and tried to get inside, but it was “impossible” because “there was far too much smoke.”
Cyane's parents, Astrid and Jerôme, reportedly accused Jacques of intentionally closing the door to prevent revelers from sneaking in without paying.
“The tables cost 1,000 euros. And if you can't even put a guard at that door...If the door had been open, maybe there wouldn't have been any d*aths,” Astrid told French broadcaster France 3 Occitanie.
Jerôme described his daughter as a “ray of sunshine,” adding, “For us, the sun didn't rise again in 2026. There's a time for sadness and a time for anger. I think the anger will quickly take over.”
Image credits: gauchecaca
34 of the 40 victims reportedly lost their lives on the single staircase leading up from the basement.
Many of the victims were under 20 years old, with eight being younger than 16.
“They were trapped on the tiny staircase as everyone fought to get out, but they were unable to escape,” said one source involved in the inquiry.
Jacques will spend at least the next three months in prison after he was deemed a flight risk. A trial has been scheduled for March.
Under Swiss law, venues like Le Constellation should undergo safety checks annually. Cans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Feraud said last week that he could not explain why this had not been the case with the ski resort bar.
"We regret that – we owe it to the families and we will accept the responsibility," said Mayor Feraud, as per the BBC, adding that sparklers should not have been allowed inside.
Romain Jordan, an attorney who represents some of the families, said the "staggering number of breaches and shortcomings in the inspections raises the question of whether the municipality should be investigated with even greater urgency.”
Le Constellation was a venue popular with a younger crowd in Crans-Montana, located in the southwestern Valais canton, where the drinking age is 16.
Jessica has apologized to the victims and their families. She told reporters, "This was an unthinkable tragedy and never could we have imagined this. It happened in our bar and I want to say I'm sorry.”
