Multiple French bars have pledged to stop using the ‘champagne sparklers’ which ignited a lethal fire in an Alpine ski resort.
At least 40 people died and 119 were seriously injured when the basement ceiling of Le Constellation, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, caught alight on New Year’s Day.
The sparklers had been lit and placed inside the champagne bottles, in a manner that has become hugely popular across Europe over the past decade.
And it is not the only time the sparklers have caused a deadly fire. In 2016, 14 people died at the Cuba Libre in Rouen, France, when youngsters became trapped in its basement.
Just like with La Constellation, sparklers had set fire to the ceiling and the blaze spread within seconds.
Now clubs are taking the initiative to ban all sparklers. Michel Ludwig, owner of Le Tremplin, the largest nightclub in Brittany, announced on Saturday: ‘We are unable to remain indifferent to the tragedy in Switzerland, and we have decided that there will no longer be any illuminated fountains at Le Templin.
‘We will replace them with LED [light emitting diode] fountains, which pose no risk to our customers.’
Numerous other bar owners expressed their support for the move on social media, saying they would also be banning the devices.
The management of Replay, a nightclub in the eastern city of Légéville-et-Bonfays, near Strasbourg, released a statement saying there was ‘no longer any place for the champagne sparklers.’
But there has been no indication sparklers are set to be banned in any UK clubs.
And a spokesman for the Cosy Bar in Cognac, in south west France, said: ‘As a precautionary measure, and out of respect for the victims and their families, we have decided to no longer use the illuminated fountains at Le Cosy.’
Swiss attorney general Béatrice Pilloud, who has opened an enquiry into the Constellation fire, said: ‘Everything suggests that the fire started with incandescent candles placed in champagne bottles, which were brought too close to the ceiling, causing a rapid and widespread conflagration.’
Jacques Moretti, the French owner of Le Constellation, has claimed his bar ‘followed all safety regulations,’ despite only being inspected only ‘three times in ten years’ by health and safety officials.
Mr Moretti, who owns three businesses around Crans-Montana, was not in the Constellation on the night of the fire, but his wife, Jessica Moretti was, and suffered a burned arm.
Neither has yet been charged with any criminal offence, and both are legally represented as they are questioned by investigators.
Are champagne sparklers allowed in the UK?
Nightclubs and other venues in UK can use champagne sparklers.
Sparklers are rated as Category 2 fireworks, and you must be 16-years-old to buy them.
And they frequently used in UK nightclubs as part of ‘bottle service’.
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