Firefighting Efforts in the Rax-Schneeberg Area Continue

Around 200 members were deployed and two helicopters were "on standby," said district commander Josef Huber to the APA. He spoke of a "grueling operation in steep terrain." "The ground is being dug up and embers are being extinguished," reported Huber. An end to the operation was not yet in sight.

Forest Fire in the Rax-Schneeberg Area: Embers Are Being Tracked and Extinguished

The fire broke out on Saturday morning. According to the fire department, a burning vehicle was likely the cause. Due to strong winds, the flames spread to a nearby forest area and quickly expanded. By Sunday afternoon, the fire was brought under control and the affected area was limited to around eight hectares. Up to 340 helpers and five firefighting helicopters were deployed on Saturday, and on Sunday there were still 320 and three helicopters.

On Monday, the task was to locate and extinguish embers using thermal imaging cameras. During the ongoing operations since the weekend, some fire department members sustained minor injuries, such as ankle injuries, according to Huber. It could still take days before "fire out" can be declared, Huber said.

In 2021, a massive forest fire challenged the emergency services in the district: On October 25, 2021, a fire broke out at the Mittagsteig in Hirschwang in the market town of Reichenau an der Rax. An area of about 115 hectares was affected, and almost 9,000 helpers were deployed in total. According to the fire department, it developed into one of the most complex firefighting operations in the area of forest fire fighting in recent decades in steep and rocky terrain. "Fire out" was only declared on November 6, 2021.

Forest Fire Regulations in Effect

The Lower Austria State Police Directorate referred on Monday to the currently high risk of forest fires in several regions of the state. It also reminded of the criminality of illegally ignited campfires. As of (today) Monday, forest fire regulations are in effect in the districts of Baden, Bruck an der Leitha, Lilienfeld, Mödling, St. Pölten-Land, Wiener Neustadt district, Scheibbs, as well as in the city area of Wiener Neustadt, according to the office of Deputy Governor Stephan Pernkopf (ÖVP). "Violations of the existing regulations can be punished with heavy fines. The penalty framework amounts to up to 7,270 euros or four weeks of substitute imprisonment," informed the State Police Directorate.

Pernkopf pointed to massive investments in recent years in forest fire fighting - "from special vehicles to over 200 developed forest management plans." The most important thing, however, is to prevent fires from occurring in the first place, emphasized the deputy governor: "Everyone can contribute by acting prudently." He thanked the fire department members who were engaged in follow-up extinguishing work.

Just on Sunday, forest inspection authorities became aware of a prepared and an already extinguished fire site on the banks of the Schwarza in the Höllental in the Neunkirchen district. There was a strong south wind, and the risk of a fire incident was significant. On February 28, a hiker reported an apparently not completely extinguished fire site near the Jubilee Viewpoint at Geyerstein in Payerbach, also in the Neunkirchen district, next to a path. The location is only about five kilometers from the previous fire incident at the Mittagsteig, the police reported.

(APA/Red)

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