Swiss Authorities Say Sparklers Probably Caused NYE's Fire, Killing 40 people | Hacker News Reader

Swiss Authorities Say Sparklers Probably Caused NYE's Fire, Killing 40 people

nytimes.com

3 pointsdenysvitali9 comments

One thing I’ve noticed overseas is construction rules, fire rules, etc are different in each country or town. Requirements are vastly different and they may never re-inspect.

How much smoke does it take to fill and trigger an alarm if you have semi-exposed wood beams?

Many places don’t have or require expensive fire suppression sprinklers.

Some no smoke detectors or carbon monoxide sensors.

How far are you from the fire exit stairs?

Do you need to fight a fire with an emergency hose to get there?

Do they have a fire station nearby? Staffed? Buildings burn very fast.

Does the truck go up to your hotel’s 6th or higher floors?

The photo I've seen in msm news showed haphazardly installed egg-carton style polyurethane foam pads across a ceiling a meter or so above a fountain of numerous sparklers held in champagne bottles pointing up into the pads. Once that plastic lit, the disaster ensued.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/switzerland-...

From various accounts, it sounds like the bar was a death trap waiting for its fateful spark.

Might anyone here be familiar with the "security Swiss cheese" realities of Swiss fire inspections & enforcement?

This is Switzerland. It was definitely inspected and approved on a regular basis.

Unfortunately this is very unlikely.

Switzerland has a lot of rules, but, especially in certain cantons, inspections aren't that common because cantonal authorities are more lax - or simply don't care.

Now I'm sure that Valais will start checking more...

I’m also taking into account the Swiss’ own nature of self-compliance. They’re very much into following the rules no matter what.

Valais (and other cantons) are closer, culturally speaking, to their neighboring countries - so following the rules isn't always happening

The story suggests a discrepancy between the asserted number of inspections and the required number of inspections

> The owner of the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Jacques Moretti, told Tribune de Genève that the bar had been inspected by local authorities three times in 10 years and that “everything was done according to the standards.” The Times has not yet been able to reach the owners. Local law in the region calls for yearly fire safety inspections in buildings open to the public or presenting special risks.

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