Beetle wood burned: 120 volunteers fought forest fires in Lower Austria

According to Franz Resperger from the Lower Austria State Command, the situation was under control. The trigger for the flames may have been that beetle wood had been burned in a meadow near the forest, the police said. Sparks could have flown in this context.

The fire broke out “in the steepest forest area,” said the district command of St. Pölten. Spreading to the Sonnberg had been prevented. If that had not succeeded, the flames could only have been fought with air support. Ultimately, the event was limited to about two hectares. “Brand out” was reported in the afternoon hours, the police reported. Nobody was injured.

Further assignments in Lower Austria

According to the district command, a forest fire also broke out in the Tullnerbach-Lawies area in the afternoon. About 900 square meters were in flames in the Vienna Woods. Three fire engines brought the incident under control.

Due to the severe drought and persistent wind, the fire brigade has been increasingly involved in forest fires in the state in the past few days. On Saturday evening, for example, an area of ​​up to 20 hectares was temporarily in flames in Raabs ad Thaya (Waidhofen ad Thaya district). In an interview with the APA, Resperger advised extreme caution in view of the drought.

Forest fire at 1400 meters altitude

After on Sunday a Forest fire broke out in steep terrain near Mühldorf (Spittal an der Drau district), the extinguishing work continued on Monday. The fire at around 1,400 meters above sea level has been under control since Sunday evening, but now it is important to find and extinguish embers, said Walter Egger from the Spittal district fire brigade command at the APA request.

Four fire brigades with around 40 emergency services have been back on the slope since the early hours of the morning, they are also supported by a helicopter. “With the help of a thermal imaging camera, embers were located, which are now being deleted,” said Egger. The fire remained contained overnight, thanks to a sprinkler system that distributed water over the affected area. It is difficult to predict how long the operation will last, but the fire brigade hopes that the fire can be issued by Monday evening.

The fire broke out on Sunday during heavy work on an alpine pasture on the Burgstallberg. Branches and twigs were supposedly heated in a controlled manner. At around 12.30 p.m. a burning rootstock had suddenly come loose and rolled down the valley. This resulted in the fire, which spread to an area of ​​​​up to seven hectares, the police said. Around 150 firefighters from eleven fire departments were deployed.