Fire safety inspections lapsed for years at Swiss bar where 40 died in New Year's blaze

Local authorities say fire safety inspections hadn’t been carried out since 2019 at the Swiss bar where a fire at a New Year’s party left 40 people dead and over 100 injured. Investigators have said they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire at Le Constellation in the resort town of Crans-Montana when they came too close to the ceiling. Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations. The head of the municipal government said Tuesday that periodic checks on the bar “were not carried out between 2020 and 2025.”