Fire safety failures exposed after bar went six years without inspection
A series of failures in fire safety oversight has come to light in Crans-Montana, where the Le Constellation bar went six years without a single inspection. The lapses were tied to an IT contractor whose erratic behaviour and system mismanagement left critical records in disarray.
Investigations are now underway to determine who bears ultimate responsibility for the tragedy, as officials admit long-standing gaps in enforcement.
The problems began years before the current safety chief took office in 2024. Upon his arrival, he discovered that inspection records for many businesses—including Le Constellation—were missing or incomplete. Forced to rebuild the database manually, he also requested extra staff to address the backlog of overdue checks. His request was denied, leaving numerous premises uninspected for years.
At the heart of the failure was an IT system managed by a freelance specialist from Sion. Tasked with maintaining software for municipal police and the cantonal fire brigade, the contractor had grown increasingly unstable. By 2023, he was demanding higher payments each year while spreading conspiracy theories and threatening to leak sensitive police data online. That same year, he was arrested and later committed to a secure psychiatric facility in Geneva after being declared criminally insane.
Software updates meant to improve the inspection system instead caused delays in processing records. With no documented widespread IT collapse in Valais canton, the breakdown appears linked to the contractor's actions. Municipal president Nicolas Féraud was reportedly aware of the situation but has not yet addressed the claims.
The case has exposed deep flaws in how fire safety inspections were tracked and enforced. With the IT contractor now in custody and records still being reconstructed, authorities must determine how such a prolonged oversight occurred. The findings could lead to changes in how municipal safety systems are managed in the future.
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