Swiss the bar where 40 people died as a result of a fire on New Year's Eve was the last subject of a safety inspection in 2019, the mayor announced Crans-Montana Nikola Ferro.
Ferro told reporters that local authorities had "no indication that there was no check" on security every year, Reuters reported.
According to him, the bar "Le Constellation" passed the control for the last time fire-fighting inspections in 2019.
Foam sound insulation was then deemed an acceptable solution and a fire alarm was not deemed necessary due to the size of the bar.
The ceiling of the bar where the fire broke out was covered with foam sound insulation, which caught fire from the sprinklers during the fire New Year's celebrations.
"The foam soundproofing was never even checked. Our safety inspectors didn't think it was necessary," Ferro said, adding that the law does not require authorities to check for such materials.
Ferro added that they need to determine, however, whether that check should have been performed.
Was the bar overbooked?
The authorities launched an investigation against two people who ran the bar on suspicion of manslaughter.
On Sunday, the police announced that there were no circumstances on the basis of which they would be in detention, because they do not see the risk of their escape.
Ferro said authorities have shut down another bar run by the couple and that the sprinklers that likely started the fire are now banned from bars in Crans-Montana.
At least 116 people were injured in the fire, and such a large number of victims raises the question of the overbooking of that bar.
Fero said that the capacity of the bar was 200 people, and that emergency exits were designed for one hundred people on two levels.
The mayor could not answer whether the staircase exit was working on the tragic night, stating that the investigation will determine that.
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