Major fire in Feldkirch

Inferno reduced the building yard to ashes

The flames were almost 100 meters high.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

A huge column of smoke throned over Feldkirch-Gisingen in Vorarlberg in the early hours of Tuesday evening. The building yard there was completely destroyed in a major fire, fortunately no toxic substances were released.

The fire was noticed at around 5.45 p.m. by a local resident who lives directly opposite the building yard. When the emergency services arrived on site a few minutes later, a large part of the mighty building was already ablaze. As the fire had already spread to the false ceilings and cavities, the building had to be brought down with excavators.

Over 200 firefighters were deployed.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

Nine fire departments with a total of 316 firefighters were in continuous operation for hours, and pockets of embers still had to be extinguished on Wednesday morning. However, the large contingent could not prevent the building yard from being reduced to rubble and ashes in the end. The area was cordoned off for the duration of the extinguishing work, and a nearby petrol station was also closed as a precaution.

A warning was also issued to the public to keep their windows closed due to the enormous amount of smoke. Fortunately, no hazardous waste materials caught fire and the protective measures for the hazardous waste area withstood the flames, as Mayor Wolfgang Matt reported.

It is a small miracle that no one was injured.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

Another positive aspect was that the building yard had already closed when the fire broke out, so there were no serious injuries - only two firefighters suffered minor injuries. The cause of the fire is still a big mystery and investigations are in full swing. In the meantime, the town of Feldkirch is working on a temporary solution for waste disposal, but waste collection is still guaranteed.