The stairwell collapsed, and the roof had to be ripped open with a crane. Now, firefighters are digging through the ashes of a completely destroyed building, hoping to find the five people who never made it out.
You go to sleep in a quiet Alpine town. You expect the mountains to be peaceful. But just after midnight, a fire breaks out on the second floor of a restaurant and apartment building, and suddenly the only way out is gone.
That is what happened in Thusis, a popular holiday spot in eastern Switzerland. When the flames took hold, they moved fast. The building’s stairwell completely collapsed, trapping people inside and cutting off the normal escape routes.
Nearly 100 firefighters rushed to the scene in the dark. The fire was so intense that rescue crews had to bring in a heavy crane just to rip the roof open and get inside.
By the time the smoke cleared, the building was “completely destroyed.”
Fourteen people managed to escape the blaze. But the toll was heavy. Eight people were hurt and rushed to hospitals in neighboring towns and Zurich. Two of them suffered serious injuries, while the rest had moderate to minor wounds.
But the biggest fear right now is the silence. Police say five people are still missing in the wreckage.
Authorities are trying to figure out how this started. The local police and the public prosecutor’s office have launched a joint investigation. Initial reports say it started on the second floor, but nobody knows what actually sparked the flames.
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The Alpine region is usually packed with tourists looking for winter sports or summer hikes. Thusis is supposed to be a safe, quiet getaway. Today, it is a disaster zone.
The crane is still sitting in the rubble. The firefighters are still digging. For the families of those five missing people, the wait is the hardest part. They just want to know if their loved ones made it out before the stairs gave way.
