Campfire lit – Two forest fires in Lower Austria just averted

In Puchberg, hikers noticed the smell of fire on Wednesday and notified the fire brigade. The fire was located using a thermal imager from an Interior Ministry helicopter and a drone, Neunkirchner district commander Josef Huber told the APA on Thursday.

Fire extinguishers and tillage tools were used to fight the almost 50 square meter fire in the steep terrain. “We are lucky that the hikers discovered the fire,” emphasizes Huber. The smoldering fire was caused by a campfire that had apparently not been extinguished sufficiently.

“Preventing widespread wildfires”
An ignition by a campfire could also be responsible for the fire on Thursday at the Anninger in the Wienerwald, according to the voluntary fire brigade of Gaaden. Only the alerting by an alarm indicator and the prompt deployment of the volunteer fire brigade could “avoid a large-scale forest fire with a potentially catastrophic outcome”, it was emphasized.

When a forest fire broke out in Hirschwang an der Rax last year, it became clear that a fire can also lead to a multi-day and extremely dangerous deployment of the fire brigade. Firefighters fought for days to contain the fire. The ongoing drought and wind had aggravated the situation. In this regard, the fire brigade referred to the forest fire ordinance, according to which, among other things, the lighting of forest fires in the forest area is prohibited. Violations can result in fines of up to 7,270 euros or an arrest of up to four weeks.