Petrol used

Fight against wasp nest set farmyard on fire

(Bild: P. Huber)

180 firefighters were deployed to extinguish a fire on a farm in the Mühlviertel region on Tuesday. There had been a fire in the barn of a farm and 35 cattle had to be brought to safety. The search for the cause revealed a surprising result: the farm owner himself was to blame for the flames spreading.

Eleven fire departments fought the fire in the farmhouse of a farm in Auberg in the Mühlviertel on Tuesday. Thanks to their valiant efforts, they managed to prevent the flames from spreading to the residential building. After the fire had been extinguished, the search for the cause of the fire began by experts from the fire prevention office in the presence of two officers from the Upper Austrian police.

With fuel and a lighter
The cause was finally determined on Wednesday. As it turned out, the 57-year-old homeowner had apparently tried to burn out a wasp nest beforehand. He had poured petrol over it and lit it with a lighter.

Chain reaction
He then tried to smother the flames with sand, but a smouldering fire may have continued underground. The roots of a rotten tree trunk caught fire, which spread to the entire tree and car tires stored right next to the trunk. The fire then spread to the roof truss of the stable building and spread further. The damage amounts to several hundred thousand euros.