Swiss inferno nightclub proprietor DID flee the scene in response to testimonies from a number of survivors, prosecutors say – every week after households warned her ‘you may pay for this’

One of the co-owners of a Swiss nightclub that caught ablaze was seen fleeing despite protesting otherwise, say multiple survivors of the fatal inferno. 

Forty-one people were killed and 115 others injured following the fire at Le Constellation, in the ski resort of Crans-Montana on January 1. 

Jessica Moretti was previously reported as having run away from the burning building with cash taken from the registers – an allegation that has angered grieving families who only last week warned the businesswoman: ‘You’ll pay for this’.

Her lawyer Yaël Hayat has dismissed such claims as a lie, telling Tribune de Geneve previously: ‘In no way did she leave the scene in a hurry; she stayed there to help and support the injured.’

But now several survivors have contradicted that view, saying Moretti – who co-owns the nightclub with husband Jacques – did in fact flee from the scene, Italian media outlet Ansa reported.

Prosecutors investigating the disaster also revealed survivors had provided testimony appearing to confirm the venue’s emergency exits had been locked.

They added that no one inside Constellation bar seemed to know what to do at the outbreak of the fire, extinguishers were not used and that the blaze took grip within a matter of mere minutes.

Their testimonies have come to light just a week after furious parents publicly  attacked the Morettis, blaming them for their children’s deaths.

As Jacques and Jessica Moretti arrived at the prosecutor’s office in Sion for their fourth day of questioning, dozens of grieving relatives swarmed around the building’s entrance, wearing clothing bearing images of their deceased loved ones.

The pair, who have pinned the blame on a waitress who also died in the fire, are under judicial supervision following the inferno. 

As they made their way into the building to testify last Thursday, several relatives rushed towards the pair, who were flanked by just a police officer and their lawyer.

‘It was a real mob. The Morettis… had hardly any protection when the relatives’ anger erupted. 

‘Everyone rushed at the innkeepers, who were pushed against the building’s wall and couldn’t get away,’ a reporter at the scene told 20 Minuten.

Angry relatives hurled insults as the pair cowered behind their lawyer, with one sobbing parent heard yelling: ‘You killed my son, you killed 40 people, you will pay for this’.

Ms Moretti, 40, appeared close to tears as she waded through the mob, while the brother of a 17-year-old victim named Trystan allegedly attempted to kick her after repeatedly asking her to look him in the eye.

Trystan’s mother, Vinciane Stucky, who was also present, told local media: ‘We will neither forgive nor forget.’

‘I’m here for Trystan,’ said his father, Christian Podoux. ‘I want Jessica Moretti to know how hard she has hit fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. She distanced herself, left the Constellation. Others, the young people, helped so much, and she just left. That’s not right.’ 

The teenage victim’s younger siblings, Tobyas, 14, and Yaelle, 15, were also present alongside their parents as they joined the raging crowd upon the Morettis’ arrival.

‘We want Jessica Moretti to apologise,’ they told local reporters. ‘I’m Trystan’s little brother, and I came here to show Jessica Moretti that she has destroyed families, to look us in the eye.’ 

Tobyas added: ‘What happened isn’t normal. We want justice. Moretti is undoubtedly guilty, as are the municipality of Crans-Montana and the canton of Valais.’

After repeatedly being called ‘murderers’ by the furious group, Mr Moretti faced the crowd and said: ‘If we have to pay, we will pay. We are not the Mafia; we are workers. We will take responsibility, we will get to the bottom of this, we promise you, we are here to achieve justice.’ 

At the hearing last week, Ms Moretti admitted her staff had not been trained for fire emergencies. 

‘There were never any evacuation drills because nobody asked us to,’ Moretti reportedly said.

She also spoke about the families impacted by the fire: ‘We knew that the families wanted to meet with us today. We understand your anger, your hatred. 

‘I reaffirm that we are available for any questions and will be there for you,’ Ms Moretti said through tears.

Regarding her role during the night of the fire, Moretti said: ‘My priority was to raise the alarm, evacuate people, and call the fire department as quickly as possible. I’m the daughter of a firefighter myself, and that’s my reflex.’

The French couple have firmly blamed their young staff for causing the inferno and blocking an escape exit, with leaked interview records pointing to them saying: ‘It’s not us, it’s the others’.

The Morettis’ defence strategy during some 20 hours of interrogation by three prosecutors was, in particular, to blame waitress Cyane Panine, 24, for getting onto the shoulders of a colleague while brandishing two champagne bottles with lit sparklers inside.

Cyane, who died in the fire, 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.’

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 French couple is under criminal investigation, facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.

They face up to 20 years in prison if charged and found guilty of manslaughter.

The family of Cyane, also a French national, is among those who have vehemently denied the Morettis’ 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 saying Cyane was made to wear a promotional crash helmet that 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.

‘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 bar owners have also faced backlash after claiming Cyane was like a ‘step-daughter’ and ‘sister’ to them.

But Ms Haenni said this was false, and Cyane had in fact contacted ‘the workers’ protection service’ over her employment conditions with the Morettis.

She was entitled to all of these documents under Swiss law, but the Morettis appeared reluctant to give her basic documents, including an employment contract, or to pay her a decent wage.

Cyane and the Morettis ‘addressed each other formally in messages,’ while Cyane complained of ‘orders’ given to her by Jessica Moretti.

Ms Haenni said: ‘In 2025, Cyane confided in her family about the significant difficulties she was experiencing with her employers.

‘She indicated that she had to work tirelessly. She was working endless days. Shortly before her death, Cyane told her family about her physical and emotional exhaustion.

‘She expressed her incomprehension at her employers’ lack of empathy and understanding.’

Ms Moretti, who was one of the first to escape the club, has admitted she knew the champagne sparkler stunt was being performed regularly, despite the huge danger.

She also offered a reserved apology for what happened on New Year’s Day, without admitting any criminal or civil liability.

Most of those caught up in the inferno were Swiss, but a total of 19 nationalities were among those killed and wounded, including nine French and six Italian nationals.

Video cameras are said to have caught Ms Moretti getting away from the scene of the fire as quickly as possible, in her car, after quickly escaping with the till containing the night’s cash takings under her arm, while hundreds of young customers were trapped inside.

Leila Micheloud, the mother of two daughters injured in the fire, attended Wednesday’s hearing.

‘It’s a path to healing. We’re waiting for answers, the truth, for them to tell the truth; we’re not asking for anything more,’ she told journalists.

‘We’re in a battle. I have to be here.

‘When you have two of your children who almost died, you’re not afraid of anything,’ she added.

The public prosecutor’s office said that around 50 orders and warrants had been issued in the case, and more than a dozen hearings conducted so far.

The case file ‘comprises nearly 2,000 pages and includes more than 8,500 physical documents; 263 civil parties have been identified and are represented by 74 lawyers,’ it said.