Massive fire in the Heizwerk Weißkirchen: Four fire brigades in continuous use!

Massive fire in the Heizwerk Weißkirchen: Four fire brigades in continuous use!

On September 13, 2025, the heating plant in Möbersdorf, municipality of Weißkirchen, Styria, occurred to an alarming fire, which resulted in great smoke development. The fire brigades from Baierdorf, Weißkirchen, Zeltweg-Stadt and Judenburg-Stadt were immediately alerted and moved out to the site. The massive smoke development was already visible on the way. On site, the emergency services started a comprehensive fire -fighting attack with rapid attack facilities of the first tank fire engines.

Thanks to quick reactions, the spread of the fire was successfully prevented. The fire-fighting water requirement was met by a local hydrant network and two portable pumps that pumped water from a pond and a stream. A crane was used to remove the collapsed roof in order to get closer to fighting the fire, which consisted of wood chips. A wheel loader used in the heating plant was destroyed by the flames, meaning additional material had to be removed.

Comprehensive firefighting measures

During the operation, leaked hydraulic oil was also contained and oil barriers were set up in the adjacent stream to prevent environmental damage. A total of 55 emergency services with 11 vehicles were on site for around five hours. The command vehicle of the Judenburg area fire brigade association was used to provide situation control and aerial overview.

The Red Cross and the police also provided support, using, among other things, a drone for aerial surveillance. Meanwhile, the Zeltweg-Stadt fire department discovered increased CO levels in an adjacent basement, whereupon extensive ventilation measures were carried out. The Judenburg fire department carried out measurements and finally opened the affected area for use again.

Background to fire incidents

The fire events in the region illustrate the importance of fire protection. According to FeuerTrutz, there are no comprehensive and uniform fire statistics in Germany. However, regular updates could help improve fire safety. A variety of different statistics, such as the fire service statistics of the German Fire Brigade Association and many others, provide information about fires, causes of fires and burn injuries.

The incidents in Weißkirchen show how crucial fast alarming measures and the coordinated cooperation of several fire brigades are to prevent major damage. It is to be hoped that such operations will always be successful in the future.

For further information on past operations, please refer to the Operations Report from the Werneck Fire Department. A similar operation is described here that took place on March 11, 2025, when firefighters were alerted due to smoke developing in a basement. Despite the urgent situation, no fire could be detected.