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Föhrenwald: Fire Approaching Residential Areas

There’s another fire in the Föhrenwald(Bild: Leserreporter)

Just five days after the fire was declared out, another fire has broken out in the Föhrenwald in Lower Austria. Currently, 700 firefighters are on the scene. This time, the source of the fire is on the opposite side—and the flames are moving toward a residential area. At least 250 people have been evacuated.

A large contingent of emergency responders is currently on the scene in Föhrenwald: At 3:30 p.m., just over two hours after the fire started, 700 firefighters from 84 fire departments are battling the flames. They are being supported by five police helicopters, two helicopters from private companies, and a Black Hawk from the Austrian Armed Forces, as well as the Special Forest Fire Service with three units from the State Fire Department Association.

The goal was to bring 250 people to safety; the Red Cross assisted with the evacuation and was also on site with a crisis intervention team and the disaster relief service. A total of 44 Red Cross staff members and 21 vehicles were deployed. As of now, there have been no reports of injuries. At the same time, efforts are underway to provide emergency shelter. 

“No Further Spread at This Time”
Klaus Stebal, press spokesperson for the Lower Austrian State Fire Department Association, reported at 5:30 p.m.: “The containment perimeter around the fire is currently being maintained. Therefore, the fire is not spreading further. Of course, this could change quickly depending on the weather.”

Evacuation is in full swing
The “Krone” reached Mayor Christa Tisch of St. Egyden am Steinfeld. She confirmed the evacuation in a phone call shortly after 2:00 p.m. According to her, six houses on Bahnstraße were evacuated, after which the residents of 50 apartments in the five apartment buildings of the Waldstrandsiedlung had to be brought to safety. The flames were only 50 meters away from the houses. The residents were then taken to the Saubersdorf fire station.

The Austrian Severe Weather Center also shared a photo on Facebook showing the massive column of smoke rising above the Neunkirchen district.

The source of the fire is believed to be on the opposite side of the site where the first major fire raged a few days ago. That first fire was already one of the largest in Lower Austria in recent years.

“The season is far from over”
The fire was also the largest of the current wildfire season, which has so far resulted in around 270 fires in the state and is “far from over,” expert Florian Kraxner recently explained. 

For five days, the flames in the Föhrenwald kept hundreds of emergency responders on their toes. 100 hectares were fully engulfed in flames; the inferno was apparently triggered by pieces of ammunition.

Pyrocumulus – the fire cloud

During wildfires, such as the one currently burning in the Föhrenwald, a so-called pyrocumulus cloud can form. These are particularly high, heavily soot-laden clouds that can bring massive storms and thunderstorms.

The resulting convection causes air masses to rise until they reach a stable point, which is normally accompanied by an increase in humidity within the cloud. The atmospheric moisture and the water vaporizing from forest and brush fires or volcanoes condense on the rising ash particles, which is why pyrocumulus clouds often appear gray or brown due to the smoke and ash.

Pyrocumulus clouds frequently cause severe turbulence, which can trigger or intensify a wildfire on the ground due to strong gusts of wind.

Smaller fires burning simultaneously in the surrounding area
Stefan Grassl, commander of the Bad Fischau Volunteer Fire Department, was in the middle of a situation briefing at 4:30 p.m. when the “Krone” reached him. That’s because even smaller fires were keeping the firefighters busy. And, as he explains, there must always be a fire department “on standby at home” so that other calls can be handled: “Right now, our colleagues from Brunner are in the Föhrenwald. When they return to the station, they’ll be on standby after us,” Grassl explains. No crew is allowed to be on duty for more than twelve hours.

The Bad Fischau firefighters “are providing support in Strelzhof, Netting, and Saubersdorf, tackling various field and meadow fires, while countless colleagues are on duty in the Föhrenwald,” according to their Facebook page.