The danger of forest fires is also an issue for the Salzburg state parliament
A large forest fire has been blazing in the Lower Austrian Rax area for days. The danger of such conflagrations is now also an issue in the Salzburg state parliament.
Franz Resperger from the state fire brigade command of Lower Austria described the fire raging in the municipality of Reichenau an der Rax as “the largest forest fire that has ever occurred in Austria”. 115 hectares are affected. Steep slopes and the foehn of the last few days made the extinguishing work difficult.
Such topographical and meteorological conditions also abound in the province of Salzburg. Our federal state is Salzburg has an area of 715,391 hectares, of which more than half (51.9 percent) is covered with forest, namely 371,000 hectares.
A possible cause of the fire is a carelessly thrown away cigarette in the excursion and hiking area in Lower Austria. This has now also called the Neos parliamentary group in Salzburg to the scene.
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Image: SN / Stefanie Schenker
Sepp Egger, Neos Salzburg
Club chairman Sepp Egger: “The awareness that even the smallest carelessly discarded cigarette can lead to hundreds of hectares of forest ablaze must be sharpened. The Salzburg forests are also currently under observation, but our goal must be that you you don’t even have to observe. Most hikers know how to behave in the forest to avoid Lower Austria here in Salzburg. “
The application mentioned by Egger however, comes from the hot month of July. What was still a formal act at the time will, according to information from the Neos, “due to current events” soon become an item on the agenda in the social, social and health committee of the state parliament. The application states: “The Salzburg state government is requested to examine how an information campaign to avoid forest fires can be designed together with the Board of Trustees for Road Safety.” The next dry period with the corresponding numbers of visitors in the forests is definitely coming …
Salzburg’s firefighters are equipped – and in demand – just in case. Six men supported the fire fighting work in Lower Austria as flight assistants. 32 Salzburg firefighters were also on duty during the devastating forest fires in Greece this summer. The “Salzburger Florian”, the newsletter of the regional fire brigade association, is devoting a 20-page special issue to the Greece mission.