Lightning caused farm fire in St. Koloman, police say

Police have determined that lightning likely caused a major fire at a farm in St. Koloman in the Tennengau region, ORF reported.

The fire broke out shortly before 7 a.m. on Tuesday, severely damaging a barn and the farm’s old residential building. More than 130 firefighters worked for several hours to prevent the flames from spreading to a newer house and nearby woodland.

No animals were in the barn at the time, and nobody was injured.

Fire investigators, police and a fire-detection dog examined the cause of the blaze in the days that followed.

Water shortages made the firefighting operation particularly difficult. Crews laid long supply lines and pumped water from several reservoirs and pools. Local farmers also transported water to the burning farm using slurry tankers.