Inn burned down

Traditional innkeeper on the flames: “My son screamed”

Fritz Schrank's parents (pictured) opened the "Schranks" inn in Eschenau /H. back in 1972, and he took over the restaurant himself in 1988.

(Bild: Einöder Horst)

600 firefighters battled the flames of several large fires in Upper Austria on Thursday night. The "Schranks" inn in Eschenau in the Hausruck district was particularly badly hit. But landlord Fritz Schrank wants to carry on and reopen "as soon as possible".

"We have completely renovated over the past few years. Everything was exactly how we always wanted it. That has now been destroyed in just one night," says landlord Fritz Schrank, facing the ruins of his existence. "My wife and I were already asleep when my son came in shortly after midnight and shouted that there was a fire," says Schrank.

On Thursday night, the pub was fully engulfed in flames.

(Bild: Lauber/laumat.at Matthias)

Landlord wants to carry on
The family trio (57, 47, 20) were then able to leave the living area on the second floor just in time. At this point, the fire had already spread to their traditional inn "Schranks" in Eschenau im Hausruckkreis and the living area. 17 fire departments from the region arrived and tried to bring the flames under control. And they succeeded: surrounding houses were saved.

But what will happen to the inn? "The most important thing is that there are no casualties. Our aim would be to reopen as quickly as possible. We have the best job in the world, we really enjoy it and we want to continue experiencing it," says the 57-year-old, looking positively to the future after the inferno in an interview with "Krone".

Fire departments in action
It was not the only major fire that kept the firefighters awake during the night. In Herzogsdorf, a fire broke out in a waste disposal company at around 8 pm. Residents were asked to keep windows and doors closed. Shortly before midnight, the sirens sounded in Pfarrkirchen im Mühlkreis. A pile of wood was ablaze.

The farmhouse burned to the ground in Sank Thomas.

(Bild: TEAM FOTOKERSCHI.AT / SIMON BRANDSTÄTTER)

A few minutes before three o'clock in the morning, the next alarm was sounded in the Mühlviertel: the emergency services were called to a large fire on a farm in Sankt Thomas am Blasenstein. 250 helpers from 22 fire departments tried to control the flames - 60 cows were rescued outside, one person had to be taken to hospital injured.

An explosion in Pupping brought the round of operations to a close. A fire had broken out in a building in which fireworks were also stored, resulting in several explosions. Five residents suffered minor injuries.