Waldbrand in the Rax area: Fire brigade fights under extreme conditions!

Waldbrand in the Rax area: Fire brigade fights under extreme conditions!

Schwarzau im Gebirge, Österreich - A dramatic forest fire in the Rax Schneeberg area put the emergency services on the weekend. The fire broke out on Saturday morning and was apparently caused by a burning vehicle. Strong winds led to the flames spread quickly to an adjacent forest. According to the district fire brigade commander Josef Huber, the fire brigade was able to control the fire on Sunday afternoon and narrow down the affected area to around eight hectares. A total of up to 340 firefighters and five fire-fighting helicopters were deployed in the first few days, such as reported.

Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner thanked the firefighters for their brave commitment under extremely difficult conditions and pointed out the dangers that show forest fires in view of the current drought. Similar large operations for fire fighting required considerable resources, as in the devastating forest fire in 2021, had to be mobilized as almost 9,000 helpers. These incidents illustrate the persistent importance of prevention measures in the forest to prevent future fires.