Forest fire in the Rax area: Fire brigade fights against uncontrollable flames!

Forest fire in the Rax area: Fire brigade fights against uncontrollable flames!

A devastating forest fire in the Rax area led to a massive fire department deployment on Saturday morning. The fire probably broke out around 10 a.m. after a car caught fire 5min.at reported. Strong winds contributed to the flames quickly spreading to an adjacent forest area, making extinguishing work much more difficult. With almost 215 emergency services from 14 fire departments and additional support staff from the disaster relief service, a comprehensive fight against the fire was organized, while the high density of pine trees in the steep terrain complicated the extinguishing work.

Large-scale deployment of the fire brigade and air support

Fire department spokeswoman Klaus Stebal said that around 100 members were already on duty in the early afternoon, supported by two trains from the disaster relief service with 120 people and the air service with 50 people, in addition to two fire-fighting helicopters from the Ministry of the Interior. State Councilor Stephan Pernkopf explained that more firefighting helicopters were requested, increasing the number to five sn.at added. Although intensive combat measures are being undertaken, Stebal said there is still no forecast as to when the fire will be under control. He estimated that emergency services would remain on alert until Sunday.

Memories of past fires were brought back, as a similarly serious incident in this region in 2021 had already required days of extinguishing work, during which almost 9,000 helpers were deployed. The use of fire-fighting helicopters and disaster relief services was also necessary in other parts of Austria, as fires were also raging in South Tyrol and Mühlviertel. Hectares of land there were devastated and there were reports of evacuations.