Swiss Authorities Say Sparklers Probably Caused NYE's Fire, Killing 40 people

3 pointsposted a day ago
by denysvitali
(nytimes.com)

8 Comments

_wire_

21 hours ago

The photo I've seen in msm news showed haphazardly installed egg-carton style polyurethane foam pads across a ceiling a meter or so above a fountain of numerous sparklers held in champagne bottles pointing up into the pads. Once that plastic lit, the disaster ensued.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/switzerland-...

bell-cot

a day ago

From various accounts, it sounds like the bar was a death trap waiting for its fateful spark.

Might anyone here be familiar with the "security Swiss cheese" realities of Swiss fire inspections & enforcement?

xenospn

a day ago

This is Switzerland. It was definitely inspected and approved on a regular basis.

denysvitali

14 hours ago

Unfortunately this is very unlikely.

Switzerland has a lot of rules, but, especially in certain cantons, inspections aren't that common because cantonal authorities are more lax - or simply don't care.

Now I'm sure that Valais will start checking more...

xenospn

6 hours ago

I’m also taking into account the Swiss’ own nature of self-compliance. They’re very much into following the rules no matter what.

denysvitali

6 hours ago

Valais (and other cantons) are closer, culturally speaking, to their neighboring countries - so following the rules isn't always happening

danso

17 hours ago

The story suggests a discrepancy between the asserted number of inspections and the required number of inspections

> The owner of the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Jacques Moretti, told Tribune de Genève that the bar had been inspected by local authorities three times in 10 years and that “everything was done according to the standards.” The Times has not yet been able to reach the owners. Local law in the region calls for yearly fire safety inspections in buildings open to the public or presenting special risks.