Commander on duty:

“The explosion could be heard as far away as Schwaz”

The first explosion occurred at around 8.40 pm.(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

There was a major operation for five fire departments in Jenbach (Tyrolean district of Schwaz), as reported by the "Krone" newspaper. Two silo tanks containing wood chips detonated at the Binderholz company. 110 firefighters fought the flames with water and extinguishing foam. The commander of the Jenbach volunteer fire department describes the operation.

"You could hear the explosion as far away as Schwaz." This is how Alexander Aschenwald, commander of the Jenbach volunteer fire department, begins his description of a major operation that took place on Friday. A silo tank containing sawdust had detonated at the Binderholz company.

"At around 8.40 pm, the control center received numerous emergency calls, which is why the dispatcher alerted five fire departments at once." A total of 110 firefighters responded.

The fact that the second silo tank also exploded was an advantage. The danger of another detonation was thus averted.

Alexander Aschenwald, Feuerwehrkommandant

First fought with water, then with extinguishing foam
Shortly afterwards, the second silo tank also exploded. "That was an advantage for us, so to speak, because we didn't run the risk of another explosion," says Aschenwald. "We initially had difficulties getting the fire under control. There was also the possibility of the production halls catching fire due to flying sparks." Fortunately, this did not happen.

"We first extinguished the fires in the silos with water," the commander continues. Extinguishing foam was then used. The fire was not put out until around 1 a.m.

"Even a small spark can cause a fire"
As Aschenwald further explains, "the company had to start removing the sawdust in the silos layer by layer on Saturday, keeping an eye out for embers". According to the police report, it was "a dust explosion from an as yet unknown cause".

As the fire department commander explained to the "Krone", "there is a lot of technology in silos like this. All it takes is a small spark for a fire to start".

Amount of damage still unknown
Fire investigators are still investigating the exact cause of the fire. Fortunately, no one was injured in the spectacular incident. It is not yet possible to say how much damage has been caused to the Binderholz company.

It will probably be a few days before the two silos are completely emptied.