The Italian medium TGCOM24 writes that, according to a reconstruction of the drama, these panels turned out not to be fire-resistant and actually promoted the spread of the flames. The disaster was caused by champagne bottles being held in the air with ice fountains, causing the ceiling to catch fire. Images show how burning drops then fall from the ceiling.
‘Budgetary reasons’
The fire killed 40 people and injured more than 100 people. The bar’s owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are charged with negligence and wrongful death.
But they are also controversial for other reasons: various Italian media reported that surveillance images showed Jessica Moretti walking outside with the cash register under her arm, while people were fighting for their lives in the bar.
According to the Italian medium, a few days after the tragic accident, supplier Robert Borbiro sent an email to the Crans-Montana police. In it he explained that he had proposed ‘the installation of fire-resistant foam’, but that this was rejected by the Morettis ‘for budgetary reasons’.
‘Huge safety problems’
In the email, Borbiro wrote that he wanted to testify in the case against the Morettis because he realized there were “huge security problems” in the building. He also mentioned the stairs from the basement that were too narrow, the inadequate ventilation system and a difficult-to-reach emergency exit, which was blocked by a handle on the fateful evening.
“I was operations director of a hotel chain from 1991 to 1995; I don’t understand how the property was able to get a permit,” Borbiro further said. Last month it became clear that no safety inspector had visited the bar since 2019, something that, according to the mayor of the Swiss town, should have taken place annually.
Heartbreaking moments during the commemoration for the café fire victims in Crans-Montana:
date:2026-02-14 00:54:00
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