"The house shook"

Explosion: firecracker shreds a snow clearing vehicle

A "huge explosion" startled residents out of their sleep. Apparently a snow vehicle was blown up by unknown persons.(Bild: Leserreporter)

A huge bang shook Kolbegasse in Vienna-Liesing: on Wednesday night, a firecracker was set off in a snow clearing vehicle. Tractor parts flew across the street, residents speak of an explosion like an attack.

Shortly after three o'clock in the morning, Kolbegasse in the 23rd district was suddenly torn from its night's rest. "There was such a bang that we were immediately awake," residents told the "Krone" newspaper. A firecracker had apparently been placed in a parked snow clearing vehicle.

Explosion at 3 a.m.
The explosion had massive consequences. A heavy tractor tire, complete with rim and axle, was thrown with full force across Kolbegasse and landed in the parking lot opposite. "That's where the bus normally goes," say local residents. A garden fence was also damaged, as was a cable box, the cover of which was ripped off by the shock wave.

"The house shook"
"The whole house shook, it was a huge explosion," reported residents of a neighboring building. The vehicle involved is probably a total loss. According to information from the neighborhood, it was not a vehicle belonging to the City of Vienna, but to a private snow clearing company that was parked there.

"Like a terrorist attack"
The police and a fire safety expert arrived in the morning. The area was secured and numerous local residents followed the work. "You don't experience something like this every day," they say. The bang was "like a terrorist attack". The investigation is ongoing.