Train fire in Wartberg: Train guide saves passengers from flames!

Train fire in Wartberg: Train guide saves passengers from flames!

In the night of May 31, 2025, a fire broke out at around 1:30 a.m. on a top construction car of a track construction of the Pyhrnbahnbahn line in Wartberg an der Krems, Upper Austria. The train was on the way from Linz to Selzthal and carried track construction machines. The 39-year-old train driver from the Korneuburg district reacted quickly by informing the emergency coordinator (Noko) and stopping the train in the municipal area of ​​Wartberg.

The fire was found around 1:35 a.m. and a fire brigade operation was immediately alerted. A total of five fire brigades were on duty to fight the fire. Deleting initially started in the lower area, since the overhead line was still under power. Thanks to a rapid grounding of the overhead line at 2:20 a.m. by the Noko, the extinguishing work could be continued later in the upper area.

fire fighting and consequences

The fire could finally be declared deleted around 3:20 a.m. Fortunately, despite the hectic situation, there was no injuries, which is thanks to the rapid reaction of the train driver. However, the incident led to considerable restrictions on train traffic on the Pyhrnbahn, which was interrupted for several hours. The exact cause of the fire has so far been unclear, but the police suspect a technical defect.

In order to determine the cause more precisely in the future, a fire expert was consulted. The dangers of electrical fires are increasingly known in society, because electrical causes are about 33 % in the statistics of the causes of fire. In addition, technical malfunctions, such as those can occur in electrical installations, are a common risk of fires. Insolation damage in particular can lead to dangerous flocks of fire and should be checked regularly to avoid such incidents.

The fire experts are currently examining the incident in more detail and evaluating the circumstances around the fire on the Pyhrnbahn line. With the increasing complexity of electrical systems, the fire risk also increases, which requires constant vigilance and preventive measures.

The relevant information about this fire comes from various places, including 5min, which reported on the incident, and and ARF, which gave details on and the measures. The statistical background to electrical causes of fire come from SchaignPrisma.