Tirol records six-year high with 52 forest fires

Tirol has recorded 52 forest fires so far this year, the highest figure in at least six years, ORF reported. About 3,900 firefighters have already been deployed to such incidents.

In each of the previous six years, between 19 and 33 forest fires were recorded over the full year. The number of firefighting operations required this year has also reached a new high.

The state of Tirol will spend up to 100,000 euros on new firefighting equipment for the state fire brigade association. The package includes a firefighting tank and a filling basin known as a Pumpkin Tank, with a capacity of up to 54,500 litres, as well as accessories and other small equipment.

Tirol currently has only smaller firefighting water containers. Austria’s S-70 Black Hawk helicopter can transport containers holding up to 3,000 litres, but Tirol does not yet have a container of this size. For operations involving the helicopter, suitable containers currently have to be transported to Tirol by road from Upper or Lower Austria.

Jakob Unterladstätter, head of the state fire brigade, said every operation involved many hours of physically demanding work, often on steep terrain, in high heat and under difficult conditions. Firefighters across Tirol are specially trained for these situations and have the necessary equipment, he said.

Forest and vegetation fires pose particular challenges for emergency crews in Tirol. Steep and inaccessible terrain often makes fighting fires from the ground more difficult. Ground and underground fires can also leave embers deep below the surface, allowing them to flare up again after a long period.