Great fire near Rossbacher: Gaimberg fights with extreme air pollution!

Great fire near Rossbacher: Gaimberg fights with extreme air pollution!

Gaimberg, Österreich - On June 28, 2025, a devastating major fire broke out in the waste management center of the Rossbacher company in Nussdorf-Debant. According to a report by Dolomitenstadt , this fire has led to an extreme burden on air quality, especially in Gaimberg. The rotating wind steered the dense clouds of smoke to the west, which made the situation precarious for many people in the Lienz basin. The exact damage situation has so far been unclear because the fire has not yet been deleted.

overnight the clouds of smoke and the clearly perceptible smell only slowly moved, while a sturdy veil was above the southern slopes of the communities. According to Josef Klemens Duregger's fine dust station in Gaimberg, exceptionally high fine dust values ​​were registered. At 01:00 a.m. the air pollution exceeded its peak, which led to a noticeable darkness of the sun over Kötschach-Mauthen. So far there is no statement on air quality from the authorities, and the information on the effects of the fire remain sparse.

The meaning of air quality

Air quality has a significant impact on the health of the population. According to GoClimate , people without oxygen can only survive on average. Fine dust emissions are particularly dangerous, which are differentiated in fixed and liquid particles, including PM10 and PM2.5. These pollutants are made up of gaseous contaminants such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulfur oxide and can achieve increased concentration in urban metropolitan areas.

In Germany, the situation for air pollutants has improved in recent years, but the challenges remain. While the current limit values ​​for many pollutants are largely observed, the loads in certain regions are still alarming. The Federal Environment Agency describes the air quality as an important topic that requires constant surveillance and measures, especially with regard to the emissions of nitrogen oxides, which mainly come from road traffic.

Development of emissions in Austria

The emissions of air pollutants in Austria have been showing a gratifying decline since the 1980s, such as the Federal Ministries for Agriculture, Environment and Water Management . The emissions of sulfur dioxide have dropped by more than 90 percent, mainly through the use of deflection systems and low -sulfur fuels. A reduction of over 50 percent was determined for toxic persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS). Progress in combustion technology also contributed to reducing carbon monoxide emissions.

Since 2010, efforts to improve air quality in cities such as Munich and Frankfurt have shown positive results, while air pollution is still prevalent in rural and industrialized areas. In Europe, an estimated 85 percent of city dwellers are exposed to harmful fine dust values, while globally over 90 percent of the population are affected by air pollutants.