After the storm on Easter Monday, the forest fire in Wildalpen in Upper Styria is still keeping the emergency services busy. About 90 firefighters are currently battling the flames. The states are now demanding more money from the federal government to combat such occurrences.
“We still don’t have the situation under control.” Hubert Failmayer, commander of the Wildalpen fire brigade, makes no secret of the current situation in an interview with “Krone”. More than 80 hectares of forest are still on fire. “The biggest problem is the impassable, steep and difficult to access terrain,” Failmayer explains.
Two days of firefighting
The fire brigade must therefore be flown to the operating area by helicopter by the Federal Army. Due to the steepness of the terrain, a mountain rescue team is also available in case of emergency.
Firefighting work has been going on for two days, supported by army helicopters since Tuesday. One Black Hawk and two Agusta Bells are in use, mainly to help fire teams reach the scene of the fire.
Fortunately, the forest fire in Großreifling (Liezen district) is now under control. To be sure, there will be reconnaissance flights on Wednesday with the FF Vordernberg drone.
Forest fires of such magnitude are actually unusual for this time of year. And because of this, politics is now also in the spotlight. On Wednesday, the Conference of State Governors in St. Pölten, at the request of Styrian state leader Christopher Drexler (ÖVP), decided to demand an amendment to the Forest Fund Act from the federal government. This is intended to guarantee the financing of the necessary equipment for the fire brigade in the long term.
“Make financing more practical”
“We are currently seeing from the major forest fires in Styria how important the best equipment is for these difficult operations. The federal government therefore has an urgent obligation to work with states to ensure long-term funding and make financing more practical,” Drexler said. He calculates that equipment (including off-road fire engines, mobile forest fire-fighting modules, reversible containers, etc.) is needed in Styria with a total value of 5.7 million euros, but this is currently only compensated by freely available resources of 5.7 million euros. 630,000 euros.
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.
