Le Constellation bar in Switzerland’s Crans-Montana ski resort had a fire exit but most people inside the venue would have struggled to find it after fire broke out, a regional security chief said as he answered questions regarding the building’s inspection during a press conference Friday.
“It seems that most people try to leave through the main exit, but this public place also had a fire exit,” Valais security director Stéphane Ganzer told journalists.
He continued, “But as you can understand, when there is an instance of flashover where you have so much smoke that it’s impossible to see to move, the majority of people, one would imagine, failed to find the fire exit.”
Meanwhile Chief Prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, responding to questions regarding the acoustic foam material the roof of the venue’s basement was made from, confirmed an investigation was looking into the installation of that material.
“The investigation is indeed looking at the installation of this foam and the related facts. The investigation will determine, to the extent possible, whether or not this acoustic foam meets requirements,” Pilloud said.
She added, “As things stand today, given we have only had a few hours of the investigation in place, I can’t tell you whether or not it has been installed with or without regulation.”