Two injured as house fire spreads from carport in Neumarkt

Two people were injured in a house fire in Neumarkt am Wallersee, a town in Salzburg’s Flachgau district, on Saturday, ORF reported. A carport was already fully ablaze when firefighters arrived, and the flames had spread to the adjoining house.

A high volume of emergency calls initially prompted the regional alarm centre to issue a level-two alert. The alert was raised to level three while the first emergency crews were still on their way, and additional fire brigades were called in.

A firefighter suffered minor injuries, while the homeowner sustained injuries of unspecified severity. After receiving first aid, the homeowner was taken to hospital for further treatment.

About 200 firefighters used 23 vehicles in the operation, supported by the Red Cross and police. Crews from Neumarkt and the surrounding municipalities deployed ladders, a breathing-apparatus vehicle, an incident command vehicle and a drone from the Flachgau district. They attacked the fire from several sides and established five water-suction points.

The fire was under control by about 2.30pm. Firefighters then began extensive work to extinguish remaining embers and check the building for hotspots, with the operation still continuing on Saturday afternoon.