Numerous fires

Tyrolean fire departments in constant action on New Year’s Eve

On what was probably the loudest and last night of the year, the local fire departments once again had their hands full. Dozens of fires caused operations almost every minute around the turn of the year. In most cases, pyrotechnic objects were the cause.

The Tyrol control center recorded more call-outs on New Year's Eve than a year ago. "The night was characterized by fire incidents, alcohol poisoning and injuries caused by roughhousing or fireworks," explains the supervisor on duty, Florian Prosch, who was celebrating an anniversary. It was his 20th New Year's Eve on duty.

Supervisor Florian Prosch(Bild: Robert Grüner)

369 deployments on New Year's Eve
In the period from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m., the 14 employees recorded 75 fire department operations (compared to 63 in the previous year), five mountain rescue operations (the same number as last year) and 289 rescue service operations (compared to 244 on New Year's Eve 2023/24). In total, the control center recorded 369 operations. A year earlier, there were 332 operations.

There was an embankment fire in Steinach am Brenner.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

Burning toboggans in Fiss
It all started at around 6.45 pm with a burning meadow in Umhausen-Niederthai. A little later, there were also wildfires in Virgen in East Tyrol and in Steinach am Brenner. At 9.25 p.m. there was a curious fire report: Toboggans were on fire in Fiss. Just a few minutes later, the fire department in Imst had to respond to a fire on a façade.

The incident response team at the Tyrol control center.(Bild: Robert Grüner)

 For unknown reasons, a chipper that had been parked in the basement of an unoccupied house in the Oberland municipality also caught fire. Shortly after 10.15 p.m., the rescue team in particular had their hands full. "In the Gfällgalerie on Paznauntalstraße, five people with minor injuries had to be taken to hospital after a traffic accident," said the control center.

Hot fireworks caused a fire at a garbage collection point in a parking lot in St. Johann in Tirol at around 1.20 am.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

Scuffle with five injured
After midnight, the incidents continued apace. Just a few minutes after New Year's Eve fireworks were set off across the country, a hedge caught fire in Steinach am Brenner, presumably due to a rocket. Four people had to go to hospital with suspected smoke inhalation. At almost the same time, a hedge in Kundl and the balcony of an apartment building in Zirl also caught fire. Shortly before or after 1 a.m., the Floriani firefighters in Brixlegg, Schwaz and St. Johann in Tirol had to be called out due to burning garbage. And at around 4 a.m. in Innsbruck, where more than 10,000 party animals were celebrating the New Year at the Bergsilvester shortly beforehand, there was also a brawl with five people injured.