Fire disaster in Saalbach: Almhütte completely destroyed!

Fire disaster in Saalbach: Almhütte completely destroyed!

On Saturday, January 11, 2025, a devastating fire broke out in the Krämeralm in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, which was located at around 1600 meters. An attentive skier discovered strong swaths of smoke that rose from the unmanaged alpine hut from the gondola, and immediately alerted the emergency services. When the fire brigade arrived, the hut was already completely in the full fire. Intervention units from Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Maishofen and the local mountain rescue were mobilized to combat the flames in this difficult to access place, such as 5min reported.

Difficult extinguishing work under extreme conditions

The cold temperatures and the restricted access to extinguishing water significantly difficult. Around 100 firefighters fought against the flames, with a police helicopter being used, which brought fire water to the site via an outdoor load container. Although the emergency services reacted quickly, the fire could only be completely deleted in the afternoon. The hut and adjacent stable buildings were completely destroyed. Fortunately, there were no people on site at the time of the fire, as did the Salzburger Nachrichten confirmed.

The exact cause of the fire is so far unclear. The incident remains the focus by investigating the Salzburg State Criminal Police Office: an expert was consulted to clarify the background of the fire. While technical failure and external negligence cannot currently be excluded, valuable evidence is still available for evaluation. The damage to property has not yet been quantified, but the destruction of the alpine hut illustrates the urgency of preventive fire protection measures in difficult areas.