One spark. One young life lost. And a New Year’s celebration that turned into a nightmare no one survived unscarred.

A WAITRESS thought to have accidentally started the huge Swiss bar blaze has been confirmed as one of 40 people killed by the fire.

Cyane Panine, 24, was “like family” to the owners of Le Constellation, who saw her as a “stepdaughter”.

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Cyane Panine was a waitress at Le Constellation in Switzerland, where she died in a huge fireCredit: Refer to source
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Panine sits on her colleagues shoulders holding two sparklers, before the fire startedCredit: Enterprise
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Panine has been identified as the waitress holding sparklers close to the ceiling, which is thought to have started the fireCredit: Doug Seeburg
The French waitress’ death was reported earlier this month, but interrogation transcripts seen by Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger identified Cyane as the waitress believed to have ignited the fire.

Pics showed the 24-year-old wearing a helmet and holding huge sparklers before the ceiling of the bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, caught fire on New Year’s Eve.

The huge blaze that followed killed 40 partygoers and injured more than 100, many of whom suffered serious burns.

Cyane, carrying two lit sparklers and sat on her colleagues shoulders, was working on the instructions of bar owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti, 20minuten reported.

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She had been encouraged by her boss Jessica to “get the atmosphere going”.

Speaking through lawyers, the 24-year-old’s family said: “Whatever the investigation reveals, this young woman followed her employer’s instructions.

“She did what the manager asked of her. This was nothing unusual. This young employee bears no responsibility whatsoever.”

The Morettis said they considered Cyane to be a member of their family – the waitress had spent Christmas with the couple just days before her death.

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Jessica said the night was “very quiet” to begin with, with hardly anyone in at midnight to celebrate the New Year, according to police statements obtained by BFMTV.

She said: “I was just telling Cyane that we needed to bring in more people to liven things up.”

Jacques Moretti said that the bar had used the bottle sparklers for a decade without accidents.

While the staff did not sit on colleagues’ shoulders every time sparklers were used, New Year’s Eve wasn’t the first time it had happened.

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Owner Jacques revealed last week that Cyane had suffocated after being trapped behind a locked service door.

He told investigators that he found a pile of bodies on the floor when he unlocked the door after the deadly blaze, one of which was waitress Cyane.

He said: “Her boyfriend and I tried to resuscitate her outside on the street for more than an hour until the paramedics told us it was too late.”

Jacques said he only found out the door she was trapped behind was “locked from the inside and on a latch” after the fire.

He is now in custody, facing a range of charges including manslaughter by negligence.

Jacques will spend at least the next three months in prison after he was deemed a flight risk, before a trial in March.

Jessica Moretti is alleged to have driven home as quickly as possible after the fire, taking the till full of cash with her.

She is also under investigation.

Investigators have now established that 34 of the 40 victims died on the single staircase leading up from the basement.

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“This amounts to 85 per cent of the dead,” said one enquiry source.

“They were trapped on the tiny staircase as everyone fought to get out, but they were unable to escape.”

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Moments after the ceiling caught fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-MontanaCredit: Doug Seeburg
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Sparklers in champagne bottles caused an inferno which killed 40 in the early hours of New Year’s DayCredit: Doug Seeburg