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Newly surfaced photos provide a chilling glimpse into the aftermath of a devastating fire that claimed 41 lives and left 115 injured at a nightclub on New Year’s Eve.
The tragic incident unfolded at Le Constellation, a popular venue in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, shortly after the clock struck midnight to welcome 2026. Revelers were in high spirits when disaster struck.
Authorities suspect that the blaze began when sparklers, used as part of a festive display in champagne bottles, ignited the soundproof foam lining the basement ceiling. Investigators continue to unravel the sequence of events that led to this horrific night.
Photos, recently leaked to the Italian publication Corriere della Sera, reveal the extensive damage inflicted by the fire.
Among the most poignant images is one showing the bent latch of an emergency exit, which first responders had to forcibly open to gain entry during the chaos.
Bent at an unnatural angle, many tried in vain to unlock the latch to allow those inside the basement to escape.
Cyane Panine, a 24-year-old waitress working at the bar, died in the fire as she tried to get through the latch and help others escape.
The bar’s owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti – who have been accused by authorities of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence – have insisted that they always had the emergency door open, except for New Year’s Eve.
New photos have revealed how badly the fire ravaged the nightclub
The fire raged through Le Constellation, a club in the Swiss ski town of Crans-Montana, just after midnight on New Year’s Eve
The French owners of Le Constellation Jacques and Jessica Moretti (both pictured) face charges of manslaughter, bodily harm and arson, all by negligence
Cyane Panine, 24, died in the fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana after she was filmed holding two champagne bottles fitted with sparklers as she sat on a colleague’s shoulders
Other photos showed entire portions of the room covered in a thick, black char caused by the fire.
Sofas and chairs were all but destroyed, with their covers burned in such a way that left filling spilling out.
In almost all the photos, the ceiling is in a state of total disrepair, highlighting how severe the fire was in the cramped basement.
Huge swathes of the top of the room were seen dangling, with internal wiring and piping falling out without supports.
Even the stairs leading out of the basement, the only path out of the fire those lucky enough to escape took, were charred.
Wood panelling was scorched by the flames, while nearby lights and pipes were left with a thick, heavy ash that settled after the fire.
It remains to be seen who officials lay blame for the disaster on.
Earlier today, Jacques and Jessica were grilled by lawyers seeking answers on how many partygoers were allowed inside.
Among the most devastating of the images, which were taken in the days after the fire, is said to be the bent latch of an emergency door that first responders had to break through to get in after being called
Other photos showed entire portions of the room covered in a thick, black char caused by the fire.
The pair, who have blamed a waitress who died in the fire, are under judicial supervision following the inferno.
They face up to 20 years in prison if charged and found guilty of manslaughter.
They made no comment as they arrived hand-in-hand for the hearing in the nearby city of Sion.
The French couple have firmly blamed their young staff for causing the inferno and blocking an escape exit, with leaked interview records point to them saying, ‘It’s not us, it’s the others’.
The Moretti’s defence strategy during some 20 hours of interrogation by three prosecutors was – in particular – to blame waitress Cyane for getting onto the shoulders of a colleague while brandishing two champagne bottles with lit sparklers inside.
Cyane was wearing a promotional crash helmet, and did not see the pyrotechnics lighting up the bar’s basement ceiling, which was covered in highly flammable foam.
Referring to the champagne sparklers stunt – which was filmed – Mr Moretti told the enquiry that it was ‘Cyane’s show’.
‘I didn’t forbid her from doing that,’ he told prosecutors, adding: ‘I didn’t make her pay attention to safety instructions. We didn’t see the danger. Cyane liked doing that – it was a show, she liked to be part of the show.’
The blaze started when sparklers being held up in champagne bottles set light to the soundproof foam owners had installed on the basement ceiling
Mrs Moretti is due to be questioned on Thursday. She previously claimed: ‘Cyane liked to deliver these bottles – she did it of her own accord.
‘If I had thought there was the slightest risk, I would have forbidden it. In ten years of running the business, I never thought there could be any danger.’
The family of Cyane, also a French national, are among those who have vehemently denied the Moretti’s claims, and they are supported by witnesses who survived the blaze.
They say it was Mrs Moretti, the manager on the night, who sent Cyane out with the bottles, and encouraged her to perform the stunt using a helmet provided by Dom Perignon, the champagne house.
But witnesses have cast doubt on their claims, with one claiming Cyane was made to wear a promotional crash helmet which prevented her from seeing sparklers.
Sophie Haenni, lawyer for Cyane’s bereaved family, also claimed that ‘Cyane wasn’t supposed to be serving at the tables’.
Ms Haenni said: ‘Jessica Moretti asked her to go down to the basement to help her colleagues, given the large number of champagne bottles ordered.
Photographs show the very first moments of the Swiss Le Constellation bar fire in Crans-Montana
‘Cyane simply followed the instructions given, did her job, and did so in front of the manager. She was never informed of the ceiling’s danger and received no safety training.’
The interviews on Wednesday and Thursday ‘are intended to allow the lawyers for the civil parties to ask the questions they were unable to ask’ during previous hearings.
‘I hope answers will be provided. We hope to better understand what happened and establish responsibilities,’ Nicolas Mattenberger, a lawyer representing victims’ families, said.