Crans-Montana fire disaster New findings cast a gloomy light on the authorities

The legal investigation into the Crans-Montana tragedy continues. Most recently, municipal president Nicolas Feraud was targeted by the authorities. At the same time, the first burn victims returned to their daily lives.

More than three months after the devastating fire disaster in Crans-Montana, the investigation is in full swing. While the judiciary is expanding its investigations and targeting more and more potentially responsible parties, there is growing evidence of possible failings on the part of the authorities.

At the same time, those affected continue to struggle with the consequences of the tragedy. Here is an overview of the latest developments.

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The criminal investigation into the fire disaster in Crans-Montana continues. The focus is increasingly on the mayor Nicolas Féraud, who has now been officially questioned and is standing down in connection with the proceedings.

The trigger is an explosive finding by the municipality itself: In an announcement on January 2, 2026, it admitted that legally required inspections of public businesses had not been carried out for years. The criminal investigation should now clarify why these omissions occurred and whether they contributed to the disaster.

During his questioning, Féraud stated that the municipal council had approved all requests for additional security staff. This account is consistent with statements made by the former municipal councillor responsible, Kevin Barras.

However, internal documents recently reported on by the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper paint a much more contradictory picture. Activity reports from the head of security show that the municipality has been systematically informed of a lack of resources since 2018. The municipal council was repeatedly presented with a choice: Either to consciously accept the incomplete implementation of fire safety regulations or to provide additional resources.

Although the municipality did authorize personnel on a selective basis, according to the Tages-Anzeiger, they were inadequate or unsuitable. At the same time, internal analyses show that hundreds of legally required checks were not carried out over the years.

It is particularly explosive that the municipal council must have been aware of these shortcomings. Nevertheless, strategic decisions were postponed or only half-heartedly implemented. The discrepancy between the official account and the documented reality is likely to be of central importance to the public prosecutor's office.

Another central point of conflict in the ongoing investigations concerns the handling of evidence. Some of the documents relating to the fire disasterhave been redacted by the municipality and handed over to the public prosecutors. The Valais public prosecutor's office confirmed this on Sunday, as reported by the Sonntagzeitung newspaper.

In particular, first names and surnames had been made illegible in the files, according to a request from the Keystone-SDA news agency. The public prosecutor's office must now clarify whether these passages "blacked out with a felt-tip pen" are directly related to the case or whether they are not relevant to the investigation into the tragedy on January 1.

This approach has provoked sharp criticism from victims' lawyers. They argue that it is problematic in terms of the rule of law if potentially accused persons themselves decide what content is made available to the investigating authorities. The lawyers see this as a possible obstruction of the investigation.

Parallel to the investigation at municipal level, the prosecution authorities are continuously expanding their investigations. In addition to the Moretti couple, the operators of the "Le Constellation" bar, other responsible parties are also increasingly coming under judicial scrutiny.

Since last Thursday, the list of suspects has grown from nine to thirteen people. Four more people will be questioned in May and June. The public prosecutor's office confirmed the facts of the case last week.

The councillor currently responsible for security in Crans-Montana, Patrick Clivaz, has been summoned for questioning on May 11. The current deputy head of the municipality's public security service will be questioned the following day - also at the Energypolis campus in Sion.

The former mayor of Chermignon (2009-2016), Jean-Claude Savoy, will face questions from the team of prosecutors and lawyers on 13 May. Finally, the former municipal councillor for construction (2013-2016) has been summoned to appear on June 3.

Jacques Moretti, owner of the bar "Le Constellation", will be heard again on Friday, June 5. This will be his third hearing. He did not appear on April 7 for health reasons.

The defendants are facing charges of involuntary manslaughter, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.

"The progress of the investigation and the rapid pace of the hearings are to be welcomed. We are making progress and this is very important for the families," Romain Jordan, lawyer for several of the affected families, told media representatives last week.

The investigation continues to focus in particular on the operators of the bar in question, "Le Constellation", Jacques and Jessica Moretti. They have been under investigation since the first days after the disaster for serious allegations, including negligent homicide and breaches of fire safety regulations.

The focus is on possible safety-related deficiencies in the operation of the bar. Investigators are looking into indications that highly flammable materials may have been used and that escape routes did not comply with regulations or were partially blocked. They are also investigating whether the maximum capacity of the premises was exceeded.

The operators themselves are said to have admitted mistakes in hearings - although it remains unclear to what extent they accept responsibility. Their defense is likely to be based on the fact that official inspections also failed and that no complaints were made about the corresponding shortcomings.

The Morettis are also under investigation in Italy: The public prosecutor's office in Rome has opened proceedings against the couple. The files contain, among other things, the statements of the young Italians who were injured in the fire disaster.

The investigation opened in Rome concerns involuntary manslaughter, multiple involuntary manslaughter, arson and grievous bodily harm with aggravating circumstances due to violations of accident prevention regulations.

In France, the department of the Paris public prosecutor's office specializing in "major incidents" has also opened an investigation - but not explicitly against the Morettis. The aim instead: To provide French victims and their relatives with a common point of contact in France and, if necessary, to facilitate exchanges with the Swiss authorities.

The humanitarian dimension of the disaster remains dramatic even months after the event. Many of the survivors are still struggling with serious physical and psychological consequences.

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At the same time, initial progress is being made in rehabilitation. Three months after the fire disaster, the Suva clinics reported initial successes on Friday: 16 injured people were discharged from the facilities in Sion and Bellikon. The patients have "largely returned to their everyday lives, have resumed work or school activities or are gradually finding their way back into their familiar environment".

Nevertheless, the situation remains serious for many of those affected. Eight patients with burns to fifty to seventy percent of their body surface are still being treated. At the same time, the repatriation of injured people treated abroad continues.

The new commander of the Valais cantonal police, Frédéric Gisler, took office under the extraordinary circumstances of the fire disaster in Crans-Montana. After three months in which he had not commented on the case, the 52-year-old ended a period of self-imposed silence last week.

As the successor to Christian Varone, Gisler had to deal with the devastating fire in the "Le Constellation" bar on January 1 - just an hour and a half after taking office. "At the moment it was a lack of understanding. Even when I was told what had happened, I had the feeling that the situation was unreal," he says in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency.

"It was the beginning of an extremely emotionally stressful time. Not only for me, but also for the victims, their families, all the first responders and my staff, who worked tirelessly to manage the crisis in the best possible way."

Gisler continued: "The situation was difficult to bear when, as commander, you send your personnel on missions knowing that they will not emerge unscathed. I never thought I would have to bear such responsibility."

Following the fire disaster, Gisler applied to the head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport for additional posts. His application is still being processed.

Parallel to the criminal investigation, an intensive political debate has developed about compensation for the victims. One thing is clear: the financial consequences of the disaster are enormous, particularly due to long-term medical treatment and loss of earnings.

The fire disaster was followed by a phase of low-threshold emergency aid. According to the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Social Affairs (SODK), the victim support offices have approved all applications to date. This concerns applications from recognized victims for financial assistance with the expenses provided for by law, such as accommodation, transport and legal support.

Due to the extent of the fire disaster, the emergency aid phase was extended to three months until March 31, as the SODK announced at the end of March. Normally, the period for accommodation, for example, is limited to 35 days.

Federal Councillor Beat Jans on Crans-Montana aid

The transition to longer-term assistance is now taking place. This means that in future the financial circumstances of the victims will be decisive for the support payments. Victim assistance will also only come into play on a subsidiary basis if the priority benefit system via accident or health insurance, liability and the like does not apply.

In the case of Crans-Montana, the review of the subsidiary principle has been postponed, it is said. The victim support offices would now make up for this and have the costs reimbursed by the insurance companies.

Victims who are still hospitalized on 31 March are still entitled to immediate assistance until they are discharged, in particular for accommodation and psychological help.

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