Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Swiss bar destroyed in a deadly New Year's fire, has been placed in pre-trial detention following allegations of domestic violence against his wife and business partner, Jessica Moretti. The incident reportedly occurred on the night of 11 August at the couple's home in Wallis — a canton in southwestern Switzerland — and was serious enough to require Jessica Moretti's hospitalisation. The arrest, reported by Geneva broadcaster Léman Bleu, has not been officially confirmed by the Wallis public prosecutor's office, which declined to comment.

The Morettis have been at the centre of one of Switzerland's worst peacetime disasters since a fire tore through their bar, Le Constellation, in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana in the early hours of 1 January. The blaze killed 41 people — including 26 minors — and injured more than 115 others. Investigators believe the fire was sparked when a champagne bottle fitted with a pyrotechnic spray fountain ignited highly flammable acoustic foam that Moretti had himself installed on the ceiling when the couple took over and renovated the bar in 2015. The fire spread to engulf the entire room in just over a minute, a phenomenon investigators described as a