Paolo Campolo, 55, raced to Le Constellation bar where he prised open a side door to let youngsters run for their lives as flames tore through the building.

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Hero banker Paolo Campolo ‘saved ten youngsters’Credit: Refer to Source
 

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A woman lays flowers outside Le Constellation bar where the fire broke outCredit: EPA
 

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Champagne bottle sparklers appear to have ignited the blaze
At least 40 people were killed and another 119 injured, 80 of them severely, when a massive “flashover” fire engulfed the basement during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

It is believed that Campolo’s actions saved at least ten teenagers.

The brave dad, a Swiss-Italian financial analyst, rushed to the scene after his distraught daughter called to say her boyfriend and friends were trapped inside while she waited to get in.

With the main entrance blocked by people scrambling to escape, he spotted a door off to the side and forced it open.

Dramatic footage shows a man yanking open a side door as a terrified young woman bolts out – though it’s unclear if it’s Campolo.

From his hospital bed, where he’s being treated for smoke inhalation, the heroic dad recounted the nightmare behind that door.

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He told Italian paper Il Messaggero: “There were several bodies all around. Alive but burnt. Some conscious, others not. They were begging for help in several languages. They were very young.”

Le Constellation was a hotspot for youngsters, and many of the victims were teens.

Fire crews were already on the scene when Campolo raced over from his home just 50 yards away.

The blaze had calmed, but dozens were trapped inside the smoke-choked club and chaos reigned at the single exit.

Teaming up with another man, Mr Campolo forced open the side door, spotting “hands and faces” before a stream of people tumbled to safety.

He said: “I didn’t think about the pain, the smoke, the danger. I pulled kids out with my bare hands. One after the other. They were alive but injured, many of them seriously.”

Asked what he most remembered from the night, he added: “The looks. The lucid desperation of those who know they’re dying. Burned people looking at you and asking you not to leave them there. It’s something that never goes away.”

His daughter would also have been inside the club when the fire took hold if she had not stopped over at the house to cheer in the New Year with her parents.

Mr Campolo is recovering in a hospital bed in Sion after inhaling smoke. His daughter is unharmed, but her boyfriend is fighting for his life in a Basel hospital.

Among the injured are 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French and 11 Italians along with citizens of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal and Poland, according to Frédéric Gisler, police commander of the Valais region.

Manslaughter charges could be handed down to the owners of the Swiss ski resort nightclub after a deadly inferno killed 40 people trapped inside.

The married couple who bought the venue in 2015 turned it from a rundown café into a party hotspot for the après-ski crowd at Crans-Montana.

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The exterior of the Le Constellation bar after a fire and explosion during a New Year’s Eve partyCredit: Reuters
 

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The nightclub during the renovation – the sound proofing can be seen on the ceiling
 

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A probe is underway to determine if the width of the staircase meets the safety standardsCredit: SUPPLIED
 

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Jacques Moretti, 49, did most of the renovation work on Le Constellation himself.

Valais’ top lawyer Beatrice Pilloud said investigators had started the grim task of combing through the blackened ruins of the venue, examining videos on social media and interviewing survivors for clues.

The probe will also focus on previous renovations and the materials used.

A former firefighter claimed that the bar used the “same insulation foam as Grenfell” to coat the ceiling.

Jacques previously told media outlets that he had spent six months renovating the premises into the glitzy nightspot.

He and his wife Jessica, 40, both French nationals, have been questioned by police and later shared their grief with media outlets.

It’s understood Moretti was not at the venue on the night; however, it has been reported Jessica was, suffering burns to her arm.

Pilloud said the pair had not been interviewed under caution, but added police could take action if they were considered flight risks.

The availability of adequate fire extinguishing systems and escape routes, and patron numbers will also be investigated.

The deadly fire was started by champagne sparklers which set fire to the ceiling of the packed venue.

Bottle service waitresses, donning bizarre neon motorcycle helmets, can be seen carrying sparkling candles in glass bottles to tables of revellers, in advertising material released by Le Constellation.

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Pilloud said everything was pointing to the sparklers as being the cause of the fire.

“From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread blaze ensued,” she said.

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A waitress at Le Constellation sitting on the shoulders of a colleague while holding a sparklerCredit: BMFTV
 

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Huge flames lick across the ceiling and soundproofing at Le Constellation barCredit: Ferdinand Du Beaudiez
 

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It has since emerged that the bar was rated 6.5 out of 10 for safety because of the building materials used