Forest Fire East Tyrol Virgen 2026: "Fire out" After Three Days

Firefighting operations took place in extreme heat, also using private helicopters and an Austrian Armed Forces helicopter. A total of five, and at times seven, helicopters were deployed. Hundreds of firefighters supported the operations from the air and on the ground.

Strong Deployment of Ground Troops and Air Support

At peak, around 170 firefighters were deployed in the affected area in the so-called Mitteldorfer Wald south of Virgen. "Around 85 personnel from twelve fire departments, mountain rescue, and farmers with slurry tanks were still on the ground on Sunday," Lienz district fire commander Harald Draxl told APA. The firefighters also continued working in a small team on Monday to deal with the remaining pockets of embers.

But it was precisely the steep terrain that made things difficult for the emergency personnel, Draxl explained. In hot temperatures, pockets of embers continued to be dug up and deliberately extinguished. Drone flights on Sunday and Monday repeatedly revealed spots with heat development.

Drones with Thermal Imaging Cameras Locate Pockets of Embers

On Monday morning, a drone still "discovered four points with heat development," as reported. The fire department had already set out with a small team early in the morning to track down and extinguish the last sources of the fire. A fire watch was also set up overnight to detect any re-ignition at an early stage.

Previously, following a drone flight using a thermal imaging camera, the last pockets of embers had been eliminated. Once this was completed, the elaborate follow-up work began. "Die Feuerwehr hat Montagmittag beim Waldbrand im Osttiroler Virgen (Bezirk Lienz) endgültig ‚Brand aus' geben können," it said in a press release.

Final "Fire out" on Monday at Midday

After these were eliminated, the final extinguishing work was completed. It had been clear since Sunday that the fire was under control. However, "Brand Aus" could not yet be declared. It was expected that "Brand Aus" could still be given on Monday.

The helicopters, as reported, have not been flying since Sunday. The operation on Monday therefore focused on ground work: pockets of embers were dug up, deliberately treated with water and extinguishing foam, and checked with thermal imaging cameras. "Jetzt werden die Glutnester weiter bearbeitet," Mair summarized the ongoing work.

Due to the slope, the removal of the extinguishing water and the use of the slurry tanks contributed by farmers were difficult. The water supply was ensured through a shuttle service with tanker trucks, as no hydrants were available in the hard-to-access terrain. The coordination of the many agencies involved was handled by the operations command in Lienz.

Challenge Posed by Steep Terrain

The forest fire was also observed from the air: helicopters documented the smoke development and provided images to the operations command. This yielded indications of individual weak spots where ground forces still had to carry out follow-up extinguishing work. This approach had proven successful, a spokesperson for the district fire department command explained.

With the "Fire out" report on Monday at midday, a three-day continuous operation came to an end. The fire department also stressed that the affected forest area would continue to be monitored and that follow-up inspections would be carried out by the responsible local fire departments. The Matrei in East Tyrol police inspector's office also announced that investigations into the cause of the fire would continue.

The balance: Around 450 personnel, twelve fire departments, mountain rescue, farmers, and five to seven helicopters were deployed over three days. An area of around ten hectares was affected. No persons were harmed. The final "Fire out" report marks the end of acute firefighting, but further observation of the terrain remains the task of the emergency organizations.

Balance and Outlook on Further Prevention

According to the Lienz district fire department command, the experiences from this operation are to feed into future forest fire prevention measures. Among other things, it is planned to keep drones with thermal imaging technology permanently available for early fire detection during the summer months. Cooperation with farmers and mountain rescue is also to be deepened further.

In view of the ongoing heat and dryness in East Tyrol, the responsible parties did not rule out further fire incidents. The population was informed about rules of conduct and the increased forest fire risk via the social media channels of the Virgen fire department and the Lienz district fire department command. The "Fire out" report on Monday at midday brought an initial all-clear.

"Wir sind erleichtert, dass niemand verletzt wurde und die Flammen keine Gebäude bedroht haben," was quoted from among the ranks of the emergency personnel. Thanks were expressed to all the fire departments involved, the mountain rescue, the farmers, the helicopter crews, and the Austrian Armed Forces for the smooth operation over the course of three days.

Late on Monday afternoon, the last personnel were withdrawn from the Mitteldorfer Wald. The fire watch remained in place overnight until Tuesday in order to be able to intervene immediately in the event of a possible re-ignition. This brings the longest forest fire operation of this summer in East Tyrol to an end for the time being.