Cigarette fell out of hand: Upper Austrians triggered a forest fire

As the St. Pölten district fire brigade command announced on Sunday, fewer people than before will probably be checking for embers until Monday morning. The extinguishing work was made more difficult by the strong wind, which fueled the fire several times, as well as by the drought and the dense vegetation in the forest. An area of ​​around six hectares was affected.

Drought: Police spokesman appealed

The hiker tried to contain the fire, but was unsuccessful. The police spokesman said he was reported for negligently causing a conflagration. Baumschlager pointed out that one should not smoke or light an open fire in the forest because of the prevailing drought. The forest fire ordinance already applies in the Neunkirchen and Wiener Neustadt districts, but not yet in the St. Pölten district.

350 helpers in the firefighting operation

A total of 20 fire brigades with around 350 helpers were deployed to fight the flames. The extinguishing work was made more difficult by the strong wind, which fueled the fire several times, as well as by the drought and the dense vegetation in the forest. The affected area is likely to be somewhat smaller than initially assumed. The fire brigade assumes six hectares.