A large fire raged in the center of Aschau near Kirchberg in Tyrol (Kitzbühel district) on Sunday night and threatened to spread to neighboring buildings. A large contingent of firefighters prevented anything worse from happening. But a farmer’s farm burned down. He is confronted with the ruins of his existence – just a few weeks before Christmas.
“I don’t say this often, but today I am extremely proud of my boys and girls. If they had not been so fast, Aschau would look different today.” Thomas Müller, commander of the local fire brigade and operations manager, spoke these honest words after the big fire on Sunday evening that destroyed a farm in the middle of the the Kirchberg district of Aschau to ashes.
Slices crack in the heat
Four neighbors were evacuated as the heat scorched their homes. Windows were broken and roofs and facades were damaged. “But nothing else happened to the neighbors,” says Mayor Helmut Berger of Kirchberg. They were not allowed to return to their homes until Sunday afternoon, when the ‘fire was extinguished’.
Existence destroyed in a few hours
The “Kienbauer” got it even worse: he had to watch his existence destroyed within hours. “And that five weeks before Christmas,” say manager Müller and mayor Berger in an interview with “Krone”. Together with the neighbor, who had heard the loud crackling of the fire, the farmer managed to get fifteen cattle from the stable to safety around 10 p.m. “We received heavy respiratory protection for the other five,” reports Müller.
Fighting embers for hours
He and his more than 200 firefighters from Aschau and the surrounding municipalities fought all night and half of Sunday with 28 vehicles against the burning farm in the middle of the city. “We also had to open the double roof under which the fire had spread and remove the stored hay,” reports Müller.
The fire brigade had a short ride
An advantage in fighting the fire was that the fire brigade arrived so quickly. Fortunately, the fire brigade building is only about 700 meters from the village center: “We were there four minutes after the siren went off.”
Local cohesion
“The firefighters are the heroes of the day,” summarizes the village boss, “they prevented an even bigger tragedy. There were no personal injuries, no animal was killed.” The farmer was staying with family. “He can rely on the team spirit. The whole village has come together!” The cause of the fire is still unclear.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
