Firefighters bring 100-hectare forest fire under control

Firefighters have brought a forest fire in the Föhrenwald forest in St. Egyden am Steinfeld, in the Neunkirchen district, largely under control despite strong winds, ORF reported on Friday. About 200 emergency responders worked through the night to extinguish smouldering areas across the affected 100 hectares.

Fire crews moved through the forest step by step, using backpack pumps to extinguish pockets of embers. The wind strengthened again on Thursday evening, raising fears that the fire could flare up, district fire commander Mario Lukas said. However, there were no longer open flames, only smouldering areas, he said.

The wind eased again in the morning. Firefighters and authorities were due to hold another briefing to assess the situation and decide whether helicopters were still needed. It remained unclear when the fire could officially be declared extinguished.

Volunteers from the district and other fire brigades in Lower Austria were expected to remain deployed until the evening. Lukas said he hoped the operation could then be scaled back, while praising the crews for their work.

Dry conditions allowed the fire to spread rapidly after it began on Wednesday. The lack of rain and empty fire ponds in the Föhrenwald complicated firefighting, requiring a shuttle operation with water tenders on Thursday. Six helicopters supported the operation, and six firefighters have so far been injured.