Death toll rises to four after fire in Graubünden house

Four people are dead after a devastating fire tore through a mixed-use building in Thusis, Graubünden, and authorities are still working to establish exactly what happened. Two more bodies were recovered over the weekend from the structure, which was partially collapsed after the blaze. The discovery brings a grim end to the search for five people initially reported missing.

The fire erupted on the second floor shortly after midnight on Friday, following reports of a blaze late Thursday night. Flames ripped through a building containing a restaurant and residential flats in the eastern Swiss town. Fourteen people managed to escape, even as the stairwell collapsed. Eight suffered injuries, including two people who were seriously hurt.

The scale of the destruction has complicated the response. Search teams entered a dangerous, unstable structure to locate those unaccounted for, while police and prosecutors began examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths. One of the five missing people was found alive earlier; the other four have now been confirmed dead. The immediate search has ended, but the investigation is only beginning.

The building’s collapse turned a rescue operation into a hazardous recovery mission. Police said the blaze “entirely burned” the building, leaving sections unstable and forcing investigators to search through a partially collapsed structure. The operation continued over the weekend as crews worked to account for everyone believed to have been inside.

The human toll is stark: 14 people escaped, but eight were injured, and two of those injuries were serious. The collapsing stairwell made evacuation particularly perilous, according to the authorities. Meanwhile, the discovery of two bodies on Saturday was followed by the recovery of the final two missing people on Sunday.

Authorities have not released a completed identification of the deceased. That means key details—including the victims’ identities and their precise circumstances—remain subject to formal confirmation. In Swiss investigations of fatal fires, that process is critical: it informs families, clarifies the official record and helps prosecutors determine whether negligence or another factor played a role. Until forensic work and structural examinations are complete, the cause remains unconfirmed.

The cause of the fire remains unknown—and the Graubünden Public Prosecutor’s Office is now examining more than the flames themselves. Cantonal police and prosecutors are investigating both how the blaze started and the circumstances surrounding the four deaths. No official explanation has been issued, and authorities have not attributed responsibility to any person or organisation.

That distinction matters. A fire that begins in a residential building containing a restaurant can involve multiple possible factors, but the available authorities’ statements do not establish any of them. Investigators must work through the damage, assess the building and reconstruct the movement of people inside it before drawing conclusions.

The partially collapsed structure adds a significant practical challenge. Evidence may be damaged, inaccessible or unsafe to retrieve, while the identification of the deceased was still incomplete in the latest update. Police have therefore released only limited details, prioritising verified information over speculation. For residents of Thusis and the wider Graubünden community, the coming days will bring scrutiny of the official investigation—and a demand for clear answers about how such a deadly fire unfolded.

Thusis now faces the long aftermath of a tragedy that struck at the heart of an ordinary Swiss community. The building was not an isolated industrial site: it housed a restaurant and homes, bringing residents and local businesses into the same emergency. Fourteen people escaped, but the injuries, fatalities and destruction have left the town confronting the consequences of a fire that spread with devastating speed.

The immediate priorities are clear—support the injured, identify the dead, secure the damaged building and establish the facts. The eight injured survivors, including two seriously hurt, may also hold crucial information about the evacuation and the conditions inside the building. Their accounts will sit alongside structural evidence and forensic findings as investigators reconstruct the night.

For Switzerland, the case underlines the importance of reliable emergency access, safe evacuation routes and rigorous fire-safety oversight in buildings combining hospitality and residential use. However, no broader conclusion can be drawn until the authorities complete their work. In Thusis, attention now turns from the flames to accountability, recovery and the unanswered question of what ignited the blaze.