Residential fire in Thusis, Switzerland, results in five missing persons

A major fire broke out shortly after midnight between Thursday and Friday in a residential building in the town of Thusis, located in the Swiss canton of Grisons. The blaze destroyed an entire building housing both a restaurant and apartments. According to local police, five people remain missing. Fourteen residents managed to escape the burning structure, with eight of them sustaining injuries: two are in critical condition, two in moderate condition, and four suffered minor injuries, totaling eight casualties (reports note conflicting counts regarding the total injured, but indicate eight specific cases among the 14 survivors).

Emergency crews, including nearly 100 firefighters, were mobilized to combat the blaze. Operations remained active on Friday morning, as the fire reportedly started on the second floor and caused the collapse of the staircase, requiring the roof to be opened via crane for rescue and suppression efforts. Injured survivors received on-site medical attention before being transported to various regional hospitals and to Zurich. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire. Separately, local authorities noted that another fire occurred during the same night in Schaffhausen, though the two incidents appear to be distinct events.