When the fire occurred on New Year’s Day, the bar seemed to have many more people in it than legally permitted, which Feraud said was the responsibility of the managers of Le Constellation to regulate.
Swiss prosecutors have placed the two bar managers under criminal investigation, which local media have named as French couple, Jacques and Jessica Moretti.
They are both suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence, the prosecutors’ office in Valais said.
Feraud said the use of sound-proofing material on the ceiling of the bar and allowing sparklers in the venue was extremely negligent.
Questioned on why authorities had not acted on pictures of sparklers close to the bar’s ceiling that were widely available on social media and used as promotion for Le Constellation before the fire, Feraud said it was likely no-one in the council saw the images.