Resident injured

Advent wreath and garbage dump ablaze

The flames quickly spread to surrounding trees in Donaustadt.

(Bild: Privat)

Two fires have kept the Vienna Fire Brigade busy over the past few days. While a dry Advent wreath caught fire in seconds and a woman was injured while trying to extinguish it, the cause of a fire involving junk in the parking lot of an empty store is still unclear. 

The emergency services were called to Donaustadtstraße at around 8pm on Saturday evening. As eyewitnesses were able to capture on their cell phones, the flames were already blazing several meters high in a parking lot and setting surrounding trees on fire. Wooden furniture and plastics had gone up in flames behind an empty store, as fire department spokesman Lukas Schauer was able to confirm.

Tennis hall saved from flames
Thankfully, 29 men were able to prevent the fire from spreading to a nearby tennis hall. Although the rescue services were also on site, no one was injured by the flames. The cause of the night-time inferno is still unclear, but arson is of course a possibility. 

The fire in the parking lot was noticed by passers-by. Wooden furniture and plastics stored in the parking lot were on fire.

Lukas Schauer, Wiener Berufsfeuerwehr

Dry brushwood burned in seconds
On Sunday evening, there was also a fire in Hietzing. A woman's Advent wreath, which was far too dry, went up in flames in seconds and also set the kitchen table alight. The tenant desperately tried to extinguish the fire herself and was injured in the process. 27 members of the professional fire department were deployed in six vehicles and extinguished the Advent wreath with a so-called bucket sprayer. The adjoining apartments were checked and the stairwell was pressure ventilated. The woman herself was taken to hospital.