“Wake up. We need 100,000 francs.”

According to investigators and testimony cited in Italian media, that sentence captures the mindset that dominated the final hours before the deadly fire at Le Constellation, the venue where a luxurious New Year’s Eve party turned into tragedy.

The goal was not subtle. The objective was to maximize revenue — at any cost.

Inside the exclusive club in Crans-Montana, champagne was the centerpiece of the night. Bottles were marketed as symbols of prestige, sold at exorbitant prices to guests seeking spectacle as much as celebration. The more dramatic the presentation, the higher the sales.

Candles attached to champagne bottles became part of that strategy.

These candles, commonly used in nightlife venues to signal VIP purchases, were intended to amplify the atmosphere and encourage further spending. But investigators now believe that the very tools used to boost sales may have triggered the disaster.

As the venue filled beyond safe capacity, the pressure to keep selling intensified. Witnesses describe staff moving quickly between tables, delivering bottles crowned with candles in an environment already crowded, loud, and chaotic.

Safety considerations, according to preliminary findings, appear to have taken a back seat.

When the fire broke out, flames spread with alarming speed. Decorative materials and acoustic panels ignited rapidly, turning a festive space into a trap filled with smoke and panic. Guests scrambled for exits as visibility dropped and confusion spread.

The aftermath revealed a chilling contrast: a night designed to generate massive profits ended with irreversible loss.

Prosecutors are now examining internal communications, management decisions, and the role of Jessica, whose alleged fixation on reaching the 100,000-franc target has become a focal point of the investigation. While responsibility has yet to be legally determined, the narrative emerging is one of relentless commercial pressure.

The question facing authorities is whether this obsession created conditions where risk was knowingly accepted — or ignored.

Experts in crowd safety note that the use of open flames, even small candles, in overcrowded venues dramatically increases danger. Combined with flammable materials and limited escape routes, such choices can be catastrophic.

The tragedy has sparked outrage across Switzerland and beyond. Many are questioning how an event marketed as elite and exclusive could operate under conditions now described as dangerously negligent.

Families of victims are demanding accountability, not only from individuals but from a system that allowed profit-driven excess to override safety norms.

As investigations continue, the Crans-Montana fire stands as a stark reminder: when revenue becomes the only metric that matters, the cost can be measured in lives.