Major fire department operation

Reignited due to wind: forest fire in Wildalpen

The extinguishing work in Wildalpen is underway again.(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Mariazell)

On day seven of the forest fire in Wildalpen in Upper Styria, there is still no all-clear. On the contrary: the wind reignited a hidden nest of embers on Saturday. 80 volunteers and several fire-fighting aircraft are now working tirelessly again.

It all started on Easter Monday - 300 firefighters had to be deployed to two forest fires in Wildalpen that threatened to escalate. A tree that fell onto an electricity pylon during the storm was probably the trigger. "Today is day seven and the fire-fighting work is still ongoing," says Hubert Failmayer from the Wildalpen volunteer fire department.

The extent of the forest fire in Wildalpen(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Mariazell)

Hidden nest of embers
The warm and windy weather is making the fire-fighting work a mammoth task. Gusts of wind have rekindled a hidden nest of embers. "The wind rekindled the fire on Saturday," explains Failmayer. Since then, 80 men and women have been back on site to fight the forest fire. The Red Cross and the mountain rescue team also had to be called out again. The latter helps with abseiling in the extremely difficult terrain.

Many volunteers help together.(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Mariazell)

The firefighting helicopters are in constant use.(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Mariazell)

"The team has to dig the ground completely, centimeter by centimeter, otherwise there will be no peace in Wildalpen. We hope that the forecast wind will not be as strong as predicted," says Bernd Fladischer, head of the flight service. Overall, it can be assumed that the fire has damaged around 100 hectares of forest, with five hectares currently acutely affected.

"Fire under control"
Three helicopters from the Ministry of the Interior are being used to extinguish the fire - they have been at work since the early hours of the morning. Failmayer emphasizes: "The fire is under control, but it will still take some time before the fire is out. Unfortunately, there is no rain in sight."