Dangerous pockets of embers

Florianis fought against flames in waste facilities

In Wiener Neustadt, a major fire at a waste processing plant claimed around 70 firefighters. A recycling center near Pöchlarn in the Melk district also caught fire.(Bild: Presseteam ffwrn.at)

A fire broke out in a recycling center in Wörth near Pöchlarn in the district of Melk, and several fire departments with around 70 firefighters also battled the flames in a waste processing plant in Wiener Neustadt.

Thick smoke could be seen from afar in Wiener Neustadt. A fire had broken out in a waste processing plant and kept numerous firefighters on their toes. Several fire departments - the Wiener Neustadt, Steinabrückl, Wöllersdorf and Bad Fischau volunteer fire departments - were alerted to the scene and fought together against the flames, which spread rapidly. The Florianis were very concerned about the neighboring field and adjacent parts of the outdoor storage area. 

Eventually, the firefighters were able to slowly bring the fire under control. However, the extinguishing work proved to be laborious: in order to extinguish the numerous embers, the 400 m³ pile of garbage had to be pulled apart using two wheel loaders.

Around 70 firefighters were involved in the major fire in Wiener Neustadt(Bild: Presseteam ffwrn.at)

The cause of the fire was investigated by the police. The flames were probably caused by a broken battery or a battery in the waste as well as sparks during shredding, according to reports.

42 operations in just ten days
The major fire was the 42nd operation in ten days for the Wiener Neustadt fire brigade, during which time the volunteers put in 561 hours of work. They had slowly reached the limits of their capacity, according to Chief of Operations Christian Pfeiffer, Commander of the Wiener Neustadt Fire Department: "Especially now, in the middle of the main holiday season, it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide the necessary resources. Large fires of this kind are not the problem, as neighboring fire departments can quickly provide support. It's the day-to-day business of smaller operations that is slowly getting out of hand."

Fire in recycling center near Pöchlarn 
Almost at the same time, a fire broke out in a waste paper department in Wörth near Pöchlarn in the district of Melk. Employees immediately raised the alarm and tried to extinguish the flames. Garbage caught fire for as yet unexplained reasons.

Emergency crews from the Pöchlarn and Ornding fire departments used a wheel loader to remove the loose material from the hall and extinguish it outside using wetting agents. After around two hours, the fire was declared out.