Swiss Bar Owner Says Service Door Locked From Inside After 40 Died in Fire
In an exclusive statement to investigators, the French co-owner of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a devastating fire during New Year's celebrations, Jacques Moretti, revealed that a service door had been locked from the inside. The bombshell admission came just days after the tragedy and has raised more questions about the establishment's safety protocols.
Moretti was taken into custody on Friday as prosecutors launched an investigation into the deaths, which mostly consisted of teenagers. An additional 116 people were injured in the blaze. When questioned by investigators, Moretti claimed he had discovered the locked door just after the fire broke out and later forced it open, reportedly finding several people lying behind the door.
The incident has sparked concerns over the bar's compliance with fire safety regulations and the presence of fire extinguishers. Initial findings suggest that the fire was caused by sparklers coming into contact with soundproofing foam installed on the ceiling of the basement area. The use of such foam in a public venue is widely regarded as unacceptable.
The owner's wife, Jessica, who also co-owns the bar, released from custody after Friday's hearing, downplayed her husband's role in the tragedy. However, Jacques Moretti's account raises eyebrows over the establishment's safety record and the possibility of negligence on the part of his security staff.
It is worth noting that the couple had installed the soundproofing foam themselves during renovations in 2015 and claimed that sparklers were not powerful enough to ignite it. Nevertheless, questions still linger regarding the bar's compliance with regulations and whether adequate precautions were taken to prevent such a tragedy.
The couple faces charges of "negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and negligent arson," highlighting the gravity of the situation. The investigation into this tragic event is ongoing, with many questions yet to be answered about what led to one of the deadliest New Year's celebrations in Swiss history.
In an exclusive statement to investigators, the French co-owner of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a devastating fire during New Year's celebrations, Jacques Moretti, revealed that a service door had been locked from the inside. The bombshell admission came just days after the tragedy and has raised more questions about the establishment's safety protocols.
Moretti was taken into custody on Friday as prosecutors launched an investigation into the deaths, which mostly consisted of teenagers. An additional 116 people were injured in the blaze. When questioned by investigators, Moretti claimed he had discovered the locked door just after the fire broke out and later forced it open, reportedly finding several people lying behind the door.
The incident has sparked concerns over the bar's compliance with fire safety regulations and the presence of fire extinguishers. Initial findings suggest that the fire was caused by sparklers coming into contact with soundproofing foam installed on the ceiling of the basement area. The use of such foam in a public venue is widely regarded as unacceptable.
The owner's wife, Jessica, who also co-owns the bar, released from custody after Friday's hearing, downplayed her husband's role in the tragedy. However, Jacques Moretti's account raises eyebrows over the establishment's safety record and the possibility of negligence on the part of his security staff.
It is worth noting that the couple had installed the soundproofing foam themselves during renovations in 2015 and claimed that sparklers were not powerful enough to ignite it. Nevertheless, questions still linger regarding the bar's compliance with regulations and whether adequate precautions were taken to prevent such a tragedy.
The couple faces charges of "negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and negligent arson," highlighting the gravity of the situation. The investigation into this tragic event is ongoing, with many questions yet to be answered about what led to one of the deadliest New Year's celebrations in Swiss history.
How do you lock a service door from INSIDE?! 
This dude's got some explaining to do...
Anyway, I think it's a total bummer that the owners installed soundproofing foam themselves and didn't follow proper regulations 
they're facing some serious charges now, but hopefully, justice will be served. Can we just say that fire safety is super important and everyone needs to be careful when it comes to using flammable materials in public places? 
I mean, can you even imagine being in that bar when the fire broke out? Like, it's one thing to have a safety emergency plan in place, but it sounds like they really dropped the ball on this one 
. And what's up with that service door being locked from the inside? That just feels like a recipe for disaster 
.
It's not like they didn't have fire extinguishers or a plan in place... I guess you never really know what could happen until it happens. The fact that they installed soundproofing foam themselves and thought sparklers couldn't ignite it just shows how clueless they were. 
We need to make sure these kinds of tragedies don't happen again, so we can all go out without worrying about our lives. 
Soundproofing foam isn't fireproof, it's just a recipe for disaster. 
The owners' DIY renovation job is looking more and more like a death trap... 
. i'm really disappointed in the state of emergency preparedness in that bar. how hard can it be to have fire extinguishers and working doors?! 
. I feel bad for the victims and their families, but like, this is just so reckless. Fire safety regulations aren't even a joke anymore 
It doesn't add up. And what's with the sparklers and soundproofing foam combo? That just screams "we didn't think this one through". I've been to bars like that, and fire safety is always a major concern, especially during NYE celebrations when everyone's already in party mode... 
It's like, how do you even lock something from the inside? It just doesn't make sense. And what really gets me is that they installed soundproofing foam themselves, claiming it was safe. Like, did they not know about fire safety regulations or something? 
The fact that Jacques Moretti is trying to downplay his role in all this just makes me more angry. He's got some serious explaining to do.
This is just unacceptable, I'm so worried about the investigation and how this will play out... do we know if anyone was actually watching the door that night or not? The lack of oversight in this situation is heartbreaking 
. And who thought it was a good idea to install soundproofing foam that can ignite from sparklers? It's like they wanted a fire hazard 
. And now, 40 people are dead and many more injured. This whole situation is just a disaster 
. I'm not saying the owners didn't do anything wrong, but it seems like basic common sense was completely ignored here 
.