2023-07-10 08:00:50
The persistent drought is causing numerous fires throughout the state. Numerous fire brigades are on duty every day to extinguish fires in the fields. We asked why this is so and whether an end is in sight.
The Upper Austrian fire brigades have to go out every day to extinguish field, field and sometimes even forest fires. Should we now expect more burning fields every year? “No, it hasn’t burned more often than last year,” reassures fire brigade officer Martin Burger. “There is such an accumulation of fires every year, especially when the harvest season has been preceded by a longer dry season.”Flying sparks are a common cause of firesWhen small stones collide with the blades of a combine harvester, sparks can occur that easily set the already dust-dry field on fire . For example, a field in Esternberg caught fire at the weekend, keeping 13 fire brigades in suspense for hours. On Saturday, six cars burned out in Marchtrenk next to a football game on a mown field. Other common fire triggers are cigarette butts, campfires or reflections, for example from broken glass.It should rain, the heat is still with us: With temperatures of up to 36 degrees, it will be really hot again today. Small thunderstorms are possible on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. However, real precipitation does not come until Thursday, when a bad weather front is supposed to open its floodgates over Upper Austria. “If there isn’t that much precipitation, it could become a fire hazard again next week,” warns Alexander Ohms from GeoSphere, because heat and nice weather are announced again for the weekend.
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