Austria confronts multiple forest fires in Tyrol and Salzburg regions

Firefighters tackled several forest fires across Austria on Sunday. In the Virgin valley of Osttirol, a ten‑to‑twelve‑hectare blaze was finally brought under control after a large deployment of about 170 responders. District fire chief Harald Draxl said the fire could be declared out by evening. The Austrian Bundesheer supported the effort with an S‑70 Black Hawk helicopter and a tank‑fuel truck, with Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner noting the army’s rapid assistance.

Further south, a historic farmstead in Anthering (Flachgau) ignited, producing meter‑high flames that destroyed a 150‑year‑old barn. Einsatzleiter David Gleisner reported that the blaze was contained after using water from a local swimming pool and nearby farms, adding that “we cannot yet give a ‘fire out’ verdict, but only after‑fire work remains.”

Smaller fires also erupted elsewhere. In Lienz’s Hochstein area, a three‑by‑three‑metre spot was extinguished quickly by the volunteer fire service, and a separate fire near Aldrans burnt roughly 100 m² before crews from Aldrans and Rinn contained it. Police said the causes remain under investigation and no injuries were recorded.