Crans-Montana fire bar had safety issues for years

Crans-Montana: authorities informed about offences in the bar since 2018 Keystone-SDA

Swiss safety inspectors had for years harboured concerns about the Crans-Montana bar that was the scene of a fatal fire on New Year's Eve.

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The authorities had been aware of health and safety issues at the Contellation bar since 2018, reports Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

The bar was inspected three times in 2016, 2018 and 2019, according to documents also seen by Keystone-SDA. The 2016 inspection, by the then municipality of Chermignon, only looked at the bar’s veranda.

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In January 2018, the safety officer of the municipality of Crans-Montana asked the manager Jacques Moretti to limit the number of visitors to his restaurant to 100 people per floor. The officer also gave him three months to indicate where the fire extinguishers were located. Evacuation plans and appropriate staff training were also lacking at the time.

Sound insulation foam

During the inspection in May 2019, all of these demands were made again by the safety officer, as the then managing director had not met the expectations of the municipal administration.

In 2019, he was given another three months to comply with the regulations.

Since then, the bar has not been inspected again. As far as the issue of soundproofing foam is concerned, there is no reference to this in the viewed reports.

In 2016, 2018 and 2019, Moretti did not own the premises, but managed the business.

Translated from German by AI/mga

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