TERRIFYING footage shows a waitress at the Swiss ski resort waving sparklers attached to champagne bottles just moments before the fatal blaze erupted.
Clips from inside the bar packed with revellers show one person trying to tackle the deadly fire before it killed 47 people.
The man is seen trying to put the fire out with what appears to be a white shirt.
However, his attempts could not stop the flames’ rapid spread.
Another shocking picture shows revellers dancing with more sparklers attached to champagne bottles inside the crowded venue – with a small fire seen on the ceiling above them.
What we know so far…
The blaze – which left another 115 people with horrific injuries – started just hours after midnight at Le Constellation bar in the upmarket Alpine resort of Crans-Montana.
Other images of the bar’s interior show soundproofing foam fitted on the ceiling.
Soundproofing foam used at clubs and studios is often highly flammable – and it is thought to have fuelled the blaze.
A witness identified only as Emma told BFM: “Some of the bottles were near the ceiling, and it caught fire.
“The whole ceiling was in flames and the fire spread really fast.
“It happened in seconds. We ran outside, screaming and crying.”
Swiss authorities said the fire had resulted in a “flashover” at the bar, leading to one or more explosions.
It has since emerged that the bar was rated 6.5 out of 10 for safety because of the building materials used and limited escape routes in case of any emergency.
The owners of the doomed venue have been identified as Jacques Moretti and his wife Jessica.
Known to be powerful figures in the Swiss hospitality industry, the French couple opened the bar in December 2015, the Daily Mail reports.
It is built inside the luxury resort of Crans-Montana, which sits in the Swiss region of Valais – a popular holiday destination for Brits.
Tourists flock to the venue every winter for its 87 miles of skiing pistes, with around three million visitors each year.
Ms Moretti has links to the UK as she attended the University of Glamorgan in Wales, according to her Facebook page.
After the successful launch of the bar at the upscale ski resort, the couple opened two other restaurants in the area – and developed a reputation as a hardworking and successful husband and wife team.
Le Constellation is also one of the few bars in the ski resort that allows revellers who are 16 and over inside, rather than having to be 18, it is understood.
Mrs Moretti was allegedly inside the club when the fire took hold and was said to have suffered burns to her arm, while her husband was working at one of their other establishments.
The couple are said to be “completely in shock”, according to sources.
Police commander Frédéric Gisler confirmed the fire “started in the basement of the bar” and there was a crush as people desperately tried to get out via the single staircase.
Terrified New Year’s Eve revellers were “screaming and running” for their lives, as the inferno scorched the venue, burning alive many people trapped inside.
Survivors, some as young as 15, have been taken to hospitals across Switzerland and abroad to France, Germany and Belgium.
It comes as the first victim of the tragedy has been identified as an Italian teen golfer Emanuele Galeppini.
The Italian Golf Federation announced the death of 16-year-old Galeppini, saying it mourned the death of a “young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values”.
Families are now facing an “unbearable” wait for victims to be identified after officials said the process will “take time” – and potentially last several days.
A despairing mother was looking for her teenage son and nine school friends who were still missing.
Laetitia Brodard said she had not seen Arthur Brodard, 16, since the tragic night.
She said: “He was looking forward to celebrating New Year’s Eve with his school friends at the resort and in this bar.
“They had made plans and reserved a table in advance. Of the 11 people at that table, only one has been found, and all the others are missing.”
Experts are using dental and DNA records to try identify the deceased, but the severity of the burns is delaying identification, a European official has said.
Meanwhile, one survivor of the tragedy told The Sun how he ran back inside to save the trapped victims of the massacre.
Student Ferdinand Du Beaudiez, 19, was partying with seven pals – including his brother and girlfriend – inside Le Constellation when it went up in flames.
As the fire tore through the venue, Ferdinand fought through the surging flames and made for a narrow staircase before scrambling to safety.
But he refused to leave his friends and brother to perish inside and ran back in to find them.
Ferdinand’s brother was eventually rescued and is now among 115 people who were taken to the hospital.
He is in a coma but is expected to pull through.
Celebration turned into tragedy
A fire was first reported at 1.30am local time (12.30am UK time) after locals noticed smoke coming from the venue.
Emergency services quickly arrived at the scene and helped treat dozens of victims fleeing the inferno – with plumes of smoke seen billowing from the building.
Officials said three disaster trucks, 13 helicopters, 42 ambulances and 150 emergency responders were deployed to the scene to battle the flames and rescue victims.
As the fire took hold, revellers ran to the single narrow staircase exit to try and escape the inferno, partygoers said.
They were “thrown down the stairs” by a surge of the crowd – and others frantically smashed through windows to get out of the venue.
Victoria, a survivor, told BFM all the windows were “black and opaque with smoke” and people broke windows to let in air.
“Many of the victims must have suffocated,” she said.
Tim Steffens, a 19-year-old ski ski instructor who witnessed the blaze, described scenes of panic as the fire broke out.
“Everyone was pushing and shoving their way out of the stairwell,” he said.
“It was awful. They were all burned. Their clothes were burned away. It really wasn’t a pretty sight. The screams… not pretty, not pretty.”
One brave eyewitness told the BBC how he instantly sprinted over to the venue as smoke was billowing into the night sky.
He smashed through a window and grabbed hold of as many partygoers as he could to drag them to safety.
Once inside he said he saw people “burning from head to foot, no clothes anymore”. He added: “It was very shocking.”
A teenage witness told Sky that people had run out so panicked they were unaware their faces were severely burned.
“People were asking me: ‘Am I burned? Is my face burned?” he recounted.
“I think the adrenaline must have made them not feel anything because they were completely, fully burned and they didn’t feel anything.”