A massive fire has ravaged a residential block housing a restaurant and apartments in the Swiss Alpine town of Thusis, leaving five people missing. The blaze, which broke out just after midnight on Friday, injured eight others and drew a response from nearly 100 firefighters from local networks.
The fire, which occurred in the eastern canton of Graubünden, a popular destination for its Alpine scenery, was first reported at around 00:00 local time. Fourteen people managed to escape the burning building, with two suffering serious injuries, two moderately injured, and four sustaining minor injuries. The injured were taken to hospitals in Chur, Thusis, Ilanz, and Zurich.
Firefighters faced challenging conditions inside the building after the stairwell collapsed, with police stating that the building had been ‘completely destroyed’ by the blaze. To tackle the flames, emergency crews had to open the roof of the block using a crane. Specialist teams are currently working through the heavily damaged structure as the search continues for the missing.
The cause of the fire, which is believed to have started on the second floor, has not yet been established. Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the blaze, but have not said whether they believe those missing were inside the building when the fire broke out.
In a separate incident, a fire broke out in the kitchen of an apartment in the northern city of Schaffhausen on Thursday morning, injuring 11 people, including a police officer. Nine of the injured were taken to hospital.
