Firefighters declare 100-hectare forest fire out after five days

Firefighters declared a 100-hectare forest fire in the Föhrenwald forest near St. Egyden am Steinfeld in the Neunkirchen district out on Sunday evening after five days of operations, ORF reported.

Hundreds of firefighters from across the state had been tackling numerous hotspots in the ground since Wednesday. They located and extinguished the fires by hand using firefighting backpacks, while six helicopters supported the operation from the air.

The fire had been under control since Thursday, but firefighters continued to find burning root stocks and embers. A fire watch will remain in place until Thursday as a precaution, the Neunkirchen district fire command told ORF on Monday.

Dry conditions allowed the fire to spread quickly. District fire commander Mario Lukas said strong winds repeatedly fanned the flames, while the lack of rain added to the challenge. The fire ponds in the forest were empty, so tankers at times had to shuttle water to the operation.

Police said the cause had been established with the greatest probability. Ammunition parts from a decommissioned factory that was blown up at the end of the Second World War are believed to have ignited themselves.