Firefighters extinguish forest blaze in Pöllau after major response

A forest fire near Pöllau, close to Hartberg, was extinguished on Saturday after 208 people from 17 fire brigades tackled the blaze, ORF reported. About 450 square metres of forest were destroyed.

The alarm was raised at around 4 p.m. by the Miesenbach fire brigade after a fire broke out at Schloffereck. Fire brigades from the Hartberg-Fürstenfeld and Weiz districts were called in because of the heavy smoke.

Crews laid two 1.6-kilometre supply lines through the forest to bring water to the fire. The blaze was brought under control and extinguished at 6.25 p.m.

Police and the Red Cross also attended. No one was injured during the firefighting operation.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. An expert is expected to investigate it in the coming days.