Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 6 hrs ago
Swiss fire safety rules vary by canton after Crans-Montana fire
A fire disaster struck the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana on January 1, 2026, and authorities are looking for those responsible.
The municipality’s president said fire safety checks at the bar were not carried out as required from 2019 to 2025.
The last check was in 2019, and a video from that year showed partygoers handling sparklers near flammable foam ceiling panels.
Switzerland has no single national fire safety law, so each canton sets and enforces its own rules.
A group formed in 1933, the Association of Cantonal Fire Insurance Companies, develops shared standards for member cantons, but Valais is not a member.
Valais security director Stéphane Ganzer said inspections should include checking building materials, while the municipality argued the rules did not specifically address flammable ceiling materials.
Authorities are still seeking accountability, with Valais and the municipality of Crans-Montana under scrutiny.
The Crans-Montana fire has raised questions about how well Switzerland’s fire-safety system protects against disasters.
The article says Switzerland has no national fire-safety law, and cantons set and enforce their own rules.
Crans-Montana’s fire-safety inspections at the Le Constellation bar were not carried out according to regulations between 2019 and 2025, the municipality’s president acknowledged.
The last inspection took place in 2019, despite a requirement for annual checks.
Valais’s security director said inspections should include checking the materials used in a building.
- Who
- The municipality of Crans-Montana, bar operators and Valais authorities are involved.
- What
- The fire has prompted scrutiny of Switzerland’s fire-safety rules, which vary by canton.
- When
- The fire occurred on January 1, 2026. The bar’s last fire-safety inspection was in 2019.
- Where
- Crans-Montana, in the canton of Valais, Switzerland.
- Why
- The article examines whether differing cantonal rules and enforcement contributed to fire risks.
Crans-Montana municipality
Stéphane Ganzer, Valais security director
Fire-safety responsibility
Crans-Montana municipality
The municipality says responsibility lies with the bar operators.
Stéphane Ganzer, Valais security director
Ganzer says checking the materials used is part of a fire-safety inspection.
Rules on ceiling materials
Crans-Montana municipality
The municipality says fire-safety rules do not set requirements for easily flammable ceiling materials.
Stéphane Ganzer, Valais security director
Ganzer says inspections should include checking the materials used.
Aargau became the first canton to introduce cantonal fire insurance.
Cantonal building insurers formed the Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers.
The last fire-safety inspection at the Le Constellation bar took place.
The Crans-Montana fire occurred.
Crans-Montana president Nicolas Féraud acknowledged that fire-safety inspections at the bar were not carried out according to regulations between 2019 and 2025.
- National law
- Switzerland has no national fire-safety law.
- Inspection requirement
- Annual fire-safety checks were required in Valais.
- Last inspection
- 2019, at the Le Constellation bar.
- Fire date
- January 1, 2026.
- Non-member cantons
- Valais, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Geneva, Obwalden, Schwyz, Ticino and Uri are not members of the Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers.
What people are saying
Part of a fire-safety inspection is always also checking the materials used.