Fire Department Warns: Drought Increases Risk of Forest Fires

The severe drought is causing an increased risk of fires in local forests. A fire in the Rax-Schneeberg area is currently challenging emergency services in Lower Austria. There are repeatedly smaller forest and field fires throughout the entire country.

Drought Causes Fire Risk: Call Emergency Services Before Attempting to Extinguish

Fire departments advise increased caution. This concerns both behavior in the forest and the simple tip: It's better to call the fire department immediately and not waste time with your own attempts to extinguish the fire.

Behavior in the forest during drought is regulated by forest fire ordinances, which are already in effect in some districts this year, such as in Baden and Mödling in Lower Austria. In Upper Austria, the forest fire ordinances will come into effect in five districts on Monday, informed Günter Huemer, the duty officer of the state fire command, upon APA inquiry. This is several weeks earlier than usual - which also shows how significant the problem is this year or could still become.

Even Plastic Waste Can Have a Magnifying Glass Effect

Not smoking or discarding cigarette butts in the forest should be a given, as should not lighting campfires during drought. However, other waste is problematic not only from an environmental perspective but also from a forest fire perspective: Many containers, not just glass but also plastic, have a lens effect. They concentrate incoming sunlight, which can contribute to the ignition of fires on dry ground.

An urgent piece of advice from the fire department is: If a fire starts, immediately alert the fire department before attempting to extinguish it yourself. It is by no means certain that one can contain an emerging fire with a handheld extinguisher, and especially on dry ground, the fire often spreads rapidly. Therefore, it is important not to lose time and to dial 122.

Prolonged Combat in Hard-to-Reach Areas

Once it happens, it can often take weeks to truly extinguish larger forest and field fires, according to Huemer. The tricky part is that the fire can smolder underground and continue to spread without being immediately visible. Specialized equipment is usually needed here, known as ground trenching tools. These include specific hoes and firefighting backpacks that can be used to target and contain the ground fire, explains the fire officer. However, one must be able to reach the site directly, which is particularly challenging in steep areas. "This really requires manpower."

Spark Fires Canceled: Traditions Suffer from the Drought

The drought is also a problem for traditions, such as the traditional spark burning: For instance, the Vorarlberg state government warned on Friday to avoid fires in nature. Some spark guilds have subsequently canceled the spark burning. Nevertheless, incidents occurred: On Saturday evening in Eichenberg (Bregenz district), a forest fire was just barely prevented when flames spread while lighting a children's spark. And in St. Anton in Montafon, unknown individuals ignited the spark at night and drove away. The spark watch discovered the fire only when it was already blazing. Fortunately, nothing happened.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.