On the way to the workshop

Tractor burst into flames while driving

Attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful.(Bild: FF Buch-St. Magdalena)

A moment of horror for a man from Burgenland in eastern Styria on Friday: his tractor suddenly burst into flames while he was driving. All attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful. The damage amounted to over 100,000 euros. Fortunately, the driver was uninjured.

The 52-year-old was on his way to the workshop with his tractor in Buch-St. Magdalena (Hartberg-Fürstenfeld district) shortly before 4 pm. Hours earlier, the man from Burgenland had noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment of his tractor during mowing work near his home in the district of Güssing. He wanted to have it checked out.

But unfortunately too late. Because the tractor suddenly started to burn in the St. Magdalena area. "Immediate attempts to extinguish the fire by the driver and a local resident were unsuccessful. Only the Buch-Geiselsdorf fire department, with support from the Sebersdorf and Hartberg fire brigades, was able to bring the fire under control," said police spokesman Christoph Grill on Saturday morning.

Fire department operation lasted five hours
After the firefighters had extinguished the fire, the sewers were cleaned and the oil on the road was bound. The contaminated soil was excavated and the damaged vehicle was recovered. After around five hours, the operation was over for the volunteers. 

The tractor unit was a total loss and the meadow and roadway were also damaged by the flames. The cause of the fire was probably a technical defect.