Five missing and eight injured after fire destroys residential building in Thusis

Midnight blaze at the Beverin building

Shortly after midnight on Friday, 21 August 2026, emergency services received an alert regarding a fire at the Beverin building in the municipality of Thusis, located in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The property contained a ground-floor restaurant with upper levels converted from former hotel rooms into studio apartments. These residential units housed individuals from several countries, including Portugal, Romania, and North Macedonia, many of whom worked in the local area. Initial findings established that the flames originated on the second floor of the three-story structure before spreading across the remaining floors. Fourteen people managed to flee the burning property into the street.

Search operations and structural instability

Five individuals remained missing as of Friday afternoon, with authorities unable to confirm whether they were present when the fire started. The internal stairwell collapsed during the fire, leaving the exterior walls and interior floors at risk of total collapse. Consequently, forensic investigators and specialized search teams could not enter the premises immediately. Firefighters brought in a mobile crane to dismantle the roof layer by layer, seeking access to the upper levels while securing the structure. Graubünden cantonal police stated that if human remains are located within the rubble, specialists will need to extract and match DNA samples, extending the recovery operation over several days.

It is unclear whether the individuals were inside the building at the time of the fire or not.

Toll on residents and hospital transport

Eight of the 14 people who escaped the building suffered injuries and received emergency medical treatment before transport to hospitals in Chur, Thusis, Ilanz, and Zurich. Police confirmed that two victims sustained severe injuries, two suffered moderate injuries, and four had light injuries. The couple operating the ground-floor restaurant survived without physical harm, though they suffered from acute shock. Among those unaccounted for is a young Portuguese woman employed as a cleaner at the restaurant, as well as a 57-year-old man from North Macedonia. His nephew, Kire, attempted to enter the burning property after receiving a phone call from his uncle during the night, but heavy smoke forced him back at the first floor.

Emergency response and community reaction

The response involved nearly 100 firefighters drawn from brigades in Thusis, Cazis, Oberer Heinzenberg, and Ems. They worked alongside 16 officers from the Graubünden Cantonal Police, personnel from the Chur City Police, members of the Thusis Samaritan Association, an official from the Office for Nature and Environment, and a local fisheries inspector. Four members of the Careteam Grischun provided psychological support to displaced residents and relatives, while municipal authorities organized temporary housing and meals. Organizers canceled the Thusis village festival, which was scheduled to take place over the weekend. Cantonal police and the public prosecutor are investigating the cause of the blaze, noting that a link to overnight thunderstorms is unlikely.

I totally understand that. Nobody feels like celebrating when people from the village are missing.