Owner of Swiss Bar Where New Year’s Day Blaze Killed 40 Is Taken into Custody as Possible Flight Risk By Sean Neumann

Jacques Moretti, the owner of Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, where 40 people died in a fire on New Year’s Day, has reportedly been arrested.

Swiss newspaper ‍24 Heures, Sky News and France 24 reported on Friday, Jan. 9, that Moretti, 49, was arrested after being questioned by police about the Jan. 1, 2026, fire that began when the bar’s foam ceiling allegedly caught fire from candles burning inside the building.

Citing information from the Swiss Public Prosecutor’s Office, 24 Heures reported that officials took Moretti into custody out of concern that he was a flight risk.

Moretti’s arrest comes after the prosecutor’s office reportedly held a lengthy hearing about the deadly fire on Friday, according to 24 Heures. Moretti was taken into custody, while his wife and bar co-owner, Jessica Moretti, was released.

“My thoughts are constantly with the victims,” Jessica reportedly told members of the media after the hearing, per 24 Heures. “It’s an unimaginable tragedy; it happened in our institution, and I want to apologize.” 

Both Jacques and Jessica are facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence, according to CBS News. Sky News reported that a number of families have already filed legal complaints against the bar owners.

Officials said fire safety inspections had not been conducted for several years at the Swiss bar, PEOPLE previously reported. Nicolas Féraud, the head of Crans-Montana’s municipal government, said at a news conference earlier this month that “periodic checks were not carried out between 2020 and 2025” at the bar.

“We regret this bitterly,” Féraud told reporters. “We owe it to the families, and we will accept responsibility.”

The blaze began around 1:30 a.m. local time, per CBS, killing 40 people and injuring 116 others. Most of the 40 people who died in the fire were teenagers, according to the outlet.

The Morettis previously released a statement vowing to offer their “full cooperation” with investigators, according to CBS.

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Swiss Bar Where New Year’s Blaze Killed 40 Lapsed in Fire Safety Inspections for Years,

“We will under no circumstances attempt to evade these matters,” the couple previously said.

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The next day, memorials of flowers and candles could be seen outside the charred building as residents and visitors mourned the tragedy. In the week since, memorials have continued to happen across the country, including hundreds gathering to march in honor of the victims on Jan. 4.

“This evening should have been a moment of celebration,” State Councillor Mathias Reynard said the day of the fire, “but it turned into a nightmare felt across the country and beyond.”