• Crans-Montana officials revealed no safety inspections at Le Constellation since 2019.
• The fire resulted in 40 fatalities and over 100 injuries during New Year's celebrations.
• Investigation suggests sparklers ignited flammable ceiling materials, causing the fire.
• Swiss authorities have initiated a criminal investigation into the bar managers for negligent homicide.
• All sparkler candles have been banned in local venues following the tragedy.

Swiss authorities admitted on January 6 that fire safety inspections at Le Constellation bar had not been conducted for the past five years, leading to a tragic fire that resulted in 40 fatalities during New Year celebrations. Mayor Nicolas Feraud expressed profound regret, saying, "Periodic inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025. We bitterly regret this," according to Reuters and Le Monde.

The investigation revealed that the fire likely ignited when celebrants raised champagne bottles with sparklers attached, which came too close to the soundproof foam on the ceiling. Authorities are scrutinizing whether this material complied with safety regulations and whether the candles were permissible in the bar context, as outlined by CBS News and South China Morning Post.

The municipal council confirmed that they performed more than 1,400 inspections in 2025, yet Le Constellation was not among them. Investigators are now looking into the responsibilities of the bar managers, who face charges of involuntary homicide and related offenses, reported Los Angeles Times and Al Jazeera.

In response to the blaze, all sparkler candles have been banned in local establishments to prevent similar incidents in the future. Crans-Montana’s authorities are also commissioning a specialist agency to audit safety compliance across 128 local public establishments, as stated by India Times and Anadolu Agency.

Funerals for the victims, many of whom were teenagers, have begun, with families providing DNA samples for identification due to the severity of injuries from the fire. The trauma inflicted on the community is immense, and authorities are bearing the full weight of responsibility, as highlighted by BBC and Le Monde.