Balcony fire in Villach

Neighbor arrived with fire extinguishers

Balcony fire in Villach, neighbor prevents worse(Bild: HFW Villach)

A Villach man receives praise from the firefighters: The attentive and courageous man reacted quickly and was able to prevent worse with hand-held fire extinguishers.

Several callers reported a balcony fire in the Auen district of Villach on Good Friday at around 4 pm by calling 122. The emergency services from the main fire station and the Perau fire brigade noticed smoke on the balcony on the ground floor of an apartment building at the scene.

"A neighbor was already extinguishing the flames with several portable fire extinguishers to prevent the fire from spreading," said Martin Regenfelder, deputy commander of the Villach main fire station. 

Ash extractor possibly responsible
The Perau fire brigade used breathing apparatus and a high-pressure extinguishing line to extinguish the fire. The thermal imaging camera was used to search for any further embers. The façade, which had been affected by the fire, had to be opened up, as the thermal insulation all too often catches fire. The apartment was not affected by the fire.

No one was injured. The fire was probably started by an ash vacuum cleaner on the balcony.

The amount of damage could not yet be determined.