Newly released CCTV footage from Crans-Montana’s infamous Inferno nightclub, two weeks before the New Year’s Eve fire, paints a shocking picture of lax safety measures.
The video shows a chair wedged against an emergency exit and staff using pool cues to prop up sagging insulation foam on the ceiling—raising questions about how prepared the venue really was for emergencies.
The nightclub owners, Jacques Moretti, 49, and his wife Jessica, 40, have pointed fingers at their young employees for the fire and for blocking escape routes.
But the footage suggests a much more systemic problem in how the club was managed.
Staff Improvising with Pool Cues and Paper Towels
In one clip, an employee is seen attempting to push up drooping insulation panels with pool cues and paper towels.
Another image shows a chair propped against an emergency exit, a potential hazard in the event of a fire.
One employee, Gaëtan Thomas-Gilbert, filmed the makeshift repairs and sent it to Jacques Moretti, who responded: “Yeah, that looks OK. Take the others off, please.”
Thomas-Gilbert, who later suffered severe injuries in the blaze, had reportedly voiced safety concerns to his father and was planning to resign from the nightclub.
A Deadly New Year’s Eve Fire
The fire on December 31, 2025, tragically claimed 40 lives and injured more than 100 people.
Swiss prosecutors have charged Jacques and Jessica Moretti with negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and negligent arson.
Leaked interviews and court documents suggest the couple has maintained a defense that largely blames their staff.
Reports from Le Parisien indicate they repeatedly told investigators, “It’s not us, it’s the others.”
Controversial Champagne Sparklers Stunt
Central to the investigation is a stunt involving waitress Cyane Panine, 24, who climbed onto a colleague’s shoulders while holding two champagne bottles with lit sparklers.
Cyane, who tragically died in the fire, wore a promotional helmet but was unaware that the basement ceiling was covered with highly flammable foam.
Jacques Moretti told investigators, “It was Cyane’s show. I didn’t forbid her, and I didn’t make her pay attention to safety instructions.”
Jessica Moretti echoed this sentiment, saying she never imagined any danger in ten years of running the club.
However, Cyane’s family and survivors dispute the Morettis’ account, claiming Jessica actually encouraged the stunt and provided the helmet.
Fire Safety Procedures Were Minimal
When questioned about fire safety training, Jacques Moretti admitted employees were only briefly instructed to evacuate patrons, raise the alarm, and call the fire department.
He acknowledged that some staff, like an employee referred to as “L,” didn’t even know the location of the fire extinguishers.
Both Jacques and Jessica also blamed staff for the locked escape door in the basement.
Jessica said she still wonders why it was closed that night, insisting the door was normally kept open.
Jacques claimed an employee accidentally latched it after delivering ice, a claim the staff member denies.
Flammable Foam and Renovation Oversight
The nightclub ceiling had highly flammable foam installed during renovations in 2015.
Jacques Moretti defended its use, stating that both the fire chief and fire captain had approved it at the time.
Despite this, the combination of improvised repairs, a blocked exit, and a high-risk pyrotechnics stunt culminated in one of Switzerland’s deadliest nightclub fires in recent memory.
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