Owner of Swiss bar that burned down killing 41 'fled inferno without alerting partygoers,' prosecutors say
Video footage 'appeared to show' Jessica Moretti escaping up the stairs towards the fire exit after she spotted the blaze
One of the owners of a Swiss bar that burned down during a New Year's celebration fled the fire without warning partygoers, prosecutors have said.
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The blaze, which broke out at Le Constellation bar in the Crans-Montana Alpine ski resort, left 41 people dead and a further 115 injured.
Video footage showed Jessica Moretti, co-owner of the bar with her husband, escaping up the stairs towards the fire exit after she spotted the blaze, prosecutors alleged.
Fabrizio Ventimiglia, the prosecutor representing 16-year-old survivor Sofia Donadio, said: "What makes me angry is she does not help anyone and does not stop anyone entering – she doesn't say anything, and I believe she had a moral, ethical and legal obligation to do so."
Read more: Horror as memorial for victims of Swiss bar fire goes up in flames
The fire is believed to have been caused after staff waved champagne bottles topped with sparklers too close to the ceiling.
Ms Moretti told prosecutors she left the bar to call the fire service, and said her intention was to come back when the bar had been evacuated.
The Times reported that Mr Ventimiglia asked in response: 'Why didn't she block people who continued to enter? That's serious."
Ms Moretti also said one of the security guards, Stefan Ivanovic, knew where the fire extinguishers were.
But Mr Ventimiglia said the video showed Ivanovic and the DJ – both victims of the fire – hunting for the extinguishers.
"At first they can't find them, then the DJ finds one but it's too late," he said.
Ms Moretti and her husband Jacques are under criminal investigation, facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.
If charged and found guilty of manslaughter they could spent up to 20 years in prison.
Investigators believe the fire was caused after the sparklers came too close to the ceiling, which was fitted with soundproof material.
They are investigating whether the ceiling was consistent with regulations and if the candles were permitted to be used in the bar.
Local authorities said there hadn't been any fire safety inspections of the bar since 2019.