Increase in Burgenland

Building fires: Batteries and messies cause danger

At the press event, the fire department used the example of a grease fire to demonstrate how dangerous the wrong behavior can be in an emergency.

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

The number of fires in residential buildings in Burgenland rose by 12 percent last year. This is shown by data from the provincial fire brigade association. It is therefore advisable to use smoke alarms in order to be able to react quickly in an emergency. 

In total, the Burgenland fire departments had to respond to 1303 fires in 2024 - an increase of 6 percent. 184 operations involved residential buildings. With an increase of 12 percent, this was the strongest increase. In contrast, the number of fires in residential buildings fell across Austria.

"Batteries are one cause of the increase. A lot of disorganization or uncleanliness also increasingly leads to fires," said Markus Mittnecker, Head of the Fire Prevention Unit at the Provincial Fire Brigade Association, referring to the "Messietum". Batteries affect all devices from cell phones to e-scooters and e-bikes. The most frequent fires are in the kitchen. According to a study by the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV), this is where the flames originate in 44% of cases. This is followed by the living room with 11 percent.

Smoke alarms save lives
"Most fire victims don't die from the flames, but from the toxic smoke," explains Armin Kaltenegger, Head of Property Protection at the KFV. A smoke alarm gives you the time you need to escape or even extinguish a small fire yourself. Only 53 percent of fire victims had them installed.

In addition to a smoke alarm, you should therefore also have a fire extinguisher close to places where there is a risk of fire, the experts advise. Likewise: Never leave open fires and hot oil unattended and keep escape routes clear.