Column of smoke over Laa

Car dealership in Laa catches fire in the middle of the town

The moment shortly after the explosion.(Bild: zVg)

A loud bang shook the border town of Laa in Lower Austria at around 5 p.m. on Thursday. The explosion, which according to initial information - following flames during welding work - was caused by a gas container, soon caused a car dealership in the middle of the border town to catch fire. Fortunately, there were no injuries - one person had to be treated on site for mild smoke inhalation.

Twelve fire departments from all over the area are working flat out to bring the fire at the Opel dealership under control. The danger: the car dealership is located at a busy intersection, with a coffee house right next door.

Column of smoke visible for miles
On the other side: the premises of one of the largest agricultural tipper manufacturers in Europe, including large paint shops.

The building burned out completely.(Bild: zVg)

The heat development was enormous, as the tire warehouse also caught fire.(Bild: FF Hanfthal)

The flames have now been extinguished and a search is underway for embers.(Bild: FF Hanfthal)

The column of smoke from the town square.(Bild: Galla)

It was possible to prevent the flames from spreading to the neighboring buildings. As the workshop also has a tire warehouse, not only the flames but also the smoke development was enormous. The pitch-black column of smoke could be seen for miles around, and the area in the border town was cordoned off.

It was possible to prevent the fire from spreading to the factory buildings (right).(Bild: AKFDO Laa)

Preliminary cause of the fire
Once the fire was under control, the fire department continued to search for pockets of embers. Eventually, however, the all-clear was given.

The cause according to initial information on site: A car caught fire during welding work, whereupon the fire developed rapidly in the workshop and subsequently spread to the entire building.