Truck fire on the A8: Tire explosion ensures dramatic rescue operation!

Truck fire on the A8: Tire explosion ensures dramatic rescue operation!

A8 Innkreisautobahn, Parkplatz bei Pichl, 4694 Oberösterreich, Österreich - On May 15, 2025, around 1 a.m. on the A8 Innkreisautobahn, at the parking lot near Pichl in Upper Austria, there was a dramatic incident. A 59-year-old Romanian driver of a tractor-trailer who transported a 33-ton trough overturned noticed a fire that had its origin on the wheel bearing of the first axis on the right trailer. Despite immediate rescue attempts, in which both the driver and another trunk driver tried to combat the fire with fire extinguishers, the fire spread quickly within just ten minutes.

In this short time, all 16 tires of the heavy transporter burned, and the flames quickly spread to the transported dump truck. A first tire exploded and was thrown up to 15 meters. This led to a critical situation, since the risk of further explosions according to the statistics carried out and reports from [Kosmo] (https://www.kosmo.at/feuerwehr Einze-auf-der-autobahn-reifen-explodt-lw-briß/) should not be underestimated. In the first quarter of 2025, 12 vehicle fires were already registered for heavy transports on Austrian highways.

use of the fire brigade and rescue work

The fire brigade was alerted, and a total of six fire departments with 11 vehicles and 78 emergency services moved out to combat the flames and bring the situation under control. The rescue work was finally completed at 6:30 a.m. This incident is not isolated; Three similar fires have been registered on the A8 since the beginning of the year, which is considered the most serious.

According to the authorities, the main cause of such fires is in most cases due to overheated wheel bearings, which were identified in at least eight cases in the first quarter. A technical overload due to inadequate maintenance represents the most common reason. Even damaged car tires and other defects are potential causes of vehicle fires that can occur not only for trucks, but also for cars and buses, as wikipedia explained.

dangers and statistics of vehicle fires

Vehicle fires contain considerable dangers, especially through toxic flue gases that can be released when burning materials such as plastics and tires. Statistically speaking, around 15,000 cars burn completely in Germany every year. In addition to technical defects, traffic accidents can also be the cause of a fire that can occur delayed, for example through expiring fuel or damaged batteries.

For fire fighting, it is important that first measures such as the use of fire extinguishers are learned. It is also recommended that drivers should be obliged to carry fire extinguishers to be able to react faster in an emergency. The responsibility for self -protection and protection of human life is a priority, and by efficient training many of these incidents could possibly be prevented.

The challenges in combating vehicle fires should also not be underestimated. In electric vehicles in particular, chemical reactions in lithium-ion batteries require special deletion methods, and disposal after a fire is often problematic.