A forest fire in the Rax-Schneeberg area near Schwarzau im Gebirge (district of Neunkirchen) has led to a large-scale firefighting operation throughout the weekend. By Sunday afternoon, the fire had been brought under control and confined to an area of around eight hectares, according to district fire commander Josef Huber. Up to 340 firefighters and five firefighting helicopters were involved on Saturday, with 320 firefighters and three helicopters remaining on Sunday.
The fire started on Saturday morning in the municipality of Schwarzau im Gebirge. According to the fire department, the cause was likely a burning vehicle. The strong winds caused the flames to spread to a nearby forest area. In addition to the local fire departments, two teams from the Disaster Relief Service, the air service, and the special forest fire service from the state fire department were called in.
The ongoing dryness, strong winds, and steep terrain, largely covered with pine trees, complicated the firefighting efforts and exhausted the firefighters, said Huber. “The teams had to crawl on all fours to reach the hotspots, carrying up to 18 kilograms of equipment,” Huber described the situation. Despite the challenging conditions, all personnel returned without serious injuries, except for a few minor abrasions.
Currently, the focus is on locating and extinguishing the remaining hot spots. According to Huber, the operation is not yet nearing completion. Firewatch will be maintained overnight, as it was the previous night. The firefighting efforts will continue on Monday, though with slightly reduced personnel compared to the weekend.
Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) expressed her gratitude to the firefighting personnel. “My thanks go to the hundreds of colleagues who have been fighting the forest fire in the Rax area under extremely difficult conditions this weekend. The operation reminds us of the devastating forest fire in Hirschwang in 2021 and the importance of being vigilant in our forests,” she said in a statement on Sunday.
A devastating forest fire had also occurred in the district a few years ago. On October 25, 2021, a fire broke out at Mittagsteig in Hirschwang, in the municipality of Reichenau an der Rax, and spread extremely quickly. Within ten hours, it grew from five to about 115 hectares. According to the fire department, it became one of the most complex firefighting operations in forest fire control in the past decades. Nearly 9,000 helpers were on site. The fire was only declared extinguished on November 6, 2021. The cause was believed to be arson, but no perpetrator has been identified to date.
Due to ongoing drought, smaller field and forest fires have occurred in several regions of Austria over the weekend. In multiple districts, forest fire ordinances have already come into effect, regulating behavior during dry conditions in the forest, and they have been implemented weeks earlier than in previous years. The fire department’s urgent advice is: if a fire starts, immediately call the fire department before attempting to extinguish it yourself.
