Major fire breaks out in Föhrenwald near Wiener Neustadt; 20 fire departments deployed

A large forest fire erupted in the Föhrenwald near St. Eygden, close to Wiener Neustadt in Austria, on Wednesday afternoon, triggering a massive deployment of emergency services. Twenty fire departments from the Wiener Neustadt and Neunkirchen districts were activated to combat the blaze.

The fire produced a substantial smoke cloud that was visible from a great distance. Observers at Fischauer Bad captured photos of the plume. The Unwetterzentrale (weather warning center) reported on social media that a "pyrocumulus cloud" had formed over the fire, a phenomenon indicating extremely high temperatures generated by the intense heat of the blaze.

This incident occurred shortly after another fire in Vienna's Lobau area was successfully extinguished on Wednesday morning around 10 a.m. The cause of the Lobau fire was suspected to be a cigarette. The article notes that the extreme heat and dryness, exacerbated by the climate crisis, are increasingly intensifying the danger of forest fires.

Firefighters are actively working to contain the Föhrenwald fire. The scale of the response underscores the severity of the situation and the potential threat to the surrounding area. The combination of dry conditions and high temperatures creates a challenging environment for firefighting efforts.

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A pyrocumulus cloud has already formed above the fire source, a sign of the enormous heat generated by the fire.