Large-scale operation in Lower Austria – fire broke out in the army’s ammunition depot

Two fires in the Wiener Neustadt district are currently causing a large-scale deployment of the fire brigade: In addition to a forest fire in the vicinity of Ebenfurth, the highest alert was issued for a wildfire in Haschendorf. Several police helicopters are currently on the scene to extinguish the fire.

A fire broke out at the army’s munitions facility in Großmittel on Wednesday afternoon from a previously unknown cause – according to army spokesman Michael Bauer (see tweet above), flames in the area are now under control.

Strong wind fanned flames
In Haschendorf the situation was different: due to the strong wind the flames quickly spread from the training area in Großmittel to the recreation center in Haschendorf. The firefighting attack is currently being carried out from the air with four helicopters. The water required for this is obtained from the pond of a neighboring holiday village. At this point it is necessary to prevent the flames from spreading to the village. The airport fire brigade is also currently moving to the site.

Armored personnel carriers pull firebreaks
As the “Krone” learned, five Ulan-type armored cars are currently pulling a firebreak through the forest to prevent the flames from spreading to Haschendorf. About 20 fire brigades from the Baden and Wiener Neustadt districts, two police helicopters and the army fire brigade are deployed. According to the police, the smoke clouds can be seen as far as Bucklige Welt.