Overview
- Switzerland ordered five days of national mourning after the Le Constellation bar inferno in Crans‑Montana, with at least 40 dead and 115 injured as forensic teams proceed with DNA and dental identifications and prosecutors rule out an attack while examining possible pyrotechnic ignition.
- Uruguay’s historic La Castellana hotel in Paysandú was declared a total loss after a fast‑moving blaze, with only minor injuries reported and the fire’s origin under investigation by national authorities.
- A major rural fire in Argentina’s Villarino district burned about 20,000 hectares before being contained, with no fatalities reported and limited medical attention for smoke exposure as officials continue damage assessments.
- Residential incidents included a fatal house fire in San Juan de Lurigancho, Peru, that killed Francisco Javier Rojas Cruz with police and prosecutors probing reports of a stray pyrotechnic device, and a Rosario blaze that destroyed a home and killed 14 rescued pets as neighbors organize aid.
- After a toll‑booth collapse during a severe storm killed worker Jorge Gianinneto near Juárez Celman in Córdoba, the concessionaire halted toll collection at the affected station, kept only two lanes open under judicial custody, and began reviewing extreme‑weather safety protocols.