🚨 “That night they took everything from me… In front of a door that never opened.” 💔🔥

A mother’s heartbreaking words are shattering hearts across Europe: Cyane Panine – the brave 24-year-old waitress seen in viral footage with helmet and flares – wasn’t partying. She was WORKING, trying to SAVE lives as the inferno exploded.

Her mom refuses to let her be remembered only as “the girl who started the fire.” Cyane stayed behind to guide people to safety, directing them toward an exit… that was LOCKED. She died trapped, surrounded by others, suffocating in a pile of bodies while desperately helping.

Why was the emergency door sealed shut? Cost-cutting? Fear of freeloaders? The questions are mounting as her family fights to honor her heroism – not blame her.

Read more:

In an emotional statement that has resonated deeply amid ongoing grief over the deadly New Year’s Eve fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, the mother of victim Cyane Panine has spoken out to challenge the narrative surrounding her daughter’s final moments.

Cyane Panine, 24, a French national working as a waitress at the upscale ski resort venue, was widely identified in social media footage from the night of January 1, 2026, wearing a promotional crash helmet and holding champagne bottles fitted with sparklers while being lifted on a colleague’s shoulders. Authorities and investigators have pointed to those sparklers igniting flammable foam on the low basement ceiling as the likely trigger for the rapid blaze that killed 40 people and injured 116 others, many with severe burns.

The images of Cyane – helmeted, flares in hand – have become emblematic of the disaster, with some online commentary and early reports suggesting her actions inadvertently sparked the catastrophe. But her mother, Astrid Panine, has pushed back forcefully in interviews, including with French media outlets like France 3 Occitanie, insisting her daughter deserves to be remembered for bravery, not blame.

“That night they took everything from me,” Astrid said. “I cannot accept that my daughter is remembered only as the girl with the helmet, with flares in her hands. That evening Cyane was working. She wasn’t there to have fun or to take part in a party that ended in tragedy. She was a responsible girl, always attentive to others. When the fire broke out, she didn’t think only about saving herself: she tried to help, to guide people outside, to show them a way to escape. That is why she stayed. In front of a door that never opened.”

The statement highlights a key allegation from Cyane’s family: that an emergency exit or service door in the basement remained locked during the panic, trapping victims including Cyane behind it. Bar owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti have acknowledged in statements to investigators that a ground-floor service door was locked from the inside with a latch – contrary to usual practice – though they described it as a service entrance rather than a designated emergency exit. Jacques Moretti recounted breaking the door open from outside and finding Cyane among a “pile of bodies,” attempting resuscitation for over an hour alongside her boyfriend before paramedics declared efforts futile.

Cyane’s parents, Astrid and Jérôme, have accused the venue of cost-cutting measures that contributed to the high death toll. They claim the door was kept secured to prevent non-paying guests from entering and bypassing high table charges (reportedly up to 1,000 euros per table), rather than for legitimate security reasons. The family’s lawyer has also alleged Cyane received no safety training regarding the venue’s low ceiling or the risks of indoor pyrotechnics, leaving her unaware of the danger posed by sparks near the foam insulation.

Owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who viewed Cyane as family – with Jessica calling her “like my little sister” and Jacques saying he raised her “as if she were my own” – have expressed profound regret. They described encouraging staff to use sparklers to “get the atmosphere going” and recounted their own desperate efforts to save victims, including Cyane. Jessica reportedly escaped early and drove home, while Jacques stayed to help. The couple has faced intense scrutiny, with one owner detained briefly for questioning as probes examine potential fire code violations, overcrowding, and locked exits.

The fire’s rapid spread – attributed by Valais attorney general Beatrice Pilloud to sparklers on champagne bottles coming too close to the ceiling – triggered a flashover, where combustible materials ignited simultaneously, causing explosions and trapping people in the basement. Witnesses described chaos: screams, heat pulses, and bottlenecks at exits. Survivor accounts, including from teens who ran back into flames to help, underscore the horror, with one describing finding a victim so badly burned only teeth were visible.

Cyane’s burial took place in her hometown of Sète, France, drawing mourners who remembered her as kind, responsible, and devoted to her work. Family statements portray her as someone who prioritized others – a trait that, tragically, may have kept her in the danger zone longer.

The broader investigation continues, with Swiss authorities focusing on venue safety compliance, the use of indoor pyrotechnics without apparent permits or training, and whether locked doors violated fire regulations. No autopsies were performed on some foreign victims (including Italians), prompting criticism from their governments and calls for exhumations. The tragedy has prompted national mourning in Switzerland, silent vigils, and papal condolences from Pope Leo XIV, who met relatives and expressed being “very moved and distraught.”

For Astrid Panine, the fight is personal: to reclaim her daughter’s legacy as a hero who tried to save lives, not the unwitting catalyst of disaster. “She stayed to help,” she emphasized. “That’s who Cyane was.” As probes unfold and families seek answers, her words serve as a poignant reminder of the human cost behind the headlines – and the questions that linger about preventable failures in a night meant for celebration.