For the fourth day in a row, the fire at the Großmittel military training area in Ebenfurth (Lower Austria) kept many emergency services on their toes on Saturday. About 200 firefighters and 150 members of the military were on the scene, said Stephan Pernkopf (ÖVP). “A lot of work has been done in recent days,” emphasized the state secretary. When “fire out” can be given is still uncertain.
The fire was still under control, it was emphasized after a briefing. There is no danger to surrounding towns such as Haschendorf and a flank to an existing gas pipeline has also been secured. “It depends on the weather conditions in the next few hours when ‘fire out’ can be given,” Pernkopf said.
“Extreme Deployment”
Commander of the state fire brigade Dietmar Fahrafellner was “full of good courage that the local civilian troops will be able to withdraw soon”. He spoke of an “exhaustive mission” that worse things could have been prevented together with the military. In total, more than 1,200 firefighters and 50 vehicles were requested. On Saturday, three emergency response trains with helpers from the districts of Wiener Neustadt, Neunkirchen and Mödling and two trains from the special forest firefighting service were deployed.
Danger from duds
Due to the danger of fraud in the restricted military area, water droplets by helicopter play an important role in the extinguishing work. According to the Lower Austrian military commander, Brigadier General Martin Jawurek, another Black Hawk and a Bell OH-58 equipped with a thermal imaging camera were at the scene on Saturday. “The great fire is over,” Jawurek said. An “area of 700 by 700 meters” has now been demarcated, where embers would flare up again and again.
The military commander also pointed to the “challenge of duds”, the associated risk and resulting limited accessibility to the fire area. Without this difficulty, the flames “could have been extinguished on the second day – but human lives are the highest priority”.
Pernkopf, who also thanked the numerous emergency services, also ventured a look outside the Ebenfurth area. Lower Austria’s fire brigade and forest firefighting units are “sensitive for the coming days” in view of an approaching heat wave.
Spontaneous ignition of a piece of ammunition
Flames in the Ebenfurth area broke out around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday outside an area used as ammunition storage in a restricted military area. According to the management, spontaneous combustion of a piece of ammunition may have caused the fire. According to Jawurek, while the police investigations have been completed, the army’s investigations are “not yet completed”.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
