Fatal barn fire

Calf tore a heat lamp from its anchorage and died

The burnt-out barn in Egg.

(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

A fire broke out in a stable on Sunday in the Bregenzerwald municipality of Egg (Vorarlberg). A calf had torn out a heat lamp, which then caused the fire. 

At around 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, the police were informed of a fire in a stable building in Egg. When the emergency services arrived, thick smoke was already billowing from the windows of the barn. Fortunately, there were no people in the building at the time.

Calf could not escape from the stall
According to initial investigations, a calf may have torn a heat lamp from its anchorage, which is believed to have started the fire. Tragically, the calf died in its calf box. The other 13 calves were rescued in time and brought outside to safety. The cows, which were in an adjacent building, were not endangered by the smoke.

Thanks to the rapid intervention of the fire department and the favorable structural conditions, the fire was prevented from spreading. By 4.25 p.m., the incident command was able to report "fire out". A total of six fire departments from the Mittelbregenzerwald region were deployed with around 180 firefighters. They were supported by the Egg rescue service, an emergency medical team, first responders and the federal police. The extent of the damage is not yet known, but fortunately no one was injured.