Major operation in the Gaisbachtal: Forest fire near Scheffau keeps fire brigade on edge

Outbreak and initial situation

A forest fire near Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser in the Tyrolean Unterland (Kufstein district) triggered a major firefighting operation on Tuesday afternoon. After the first emergency crews and officials arrived, an incident command was immediately set up and a situation assessment was launched, carried out both by drone and by helicopter. In addition to the state crisis management, the district captain and the mayors of the affected municipalities, numerous other forces were deployed.

Around 100 firefighters from Scheffau and surrounding municipalities, as well as mountain rescue teams, were deployed. A total of 150 emergency personnel were on site — including the fire brigades of Scheffau, Söll and Ellmau, as well as Schaftenau and the Kufstein district fire brigade command. To secure the ground crews, the mountain rescue teams of Scheffau and Kufstein were called in additionally. After the first emergency crews and officials arrived, an incident command was immediately set up and the situation assessment was launched.

Extent of the fire

The extent of the damage changed significantly during the course of the operation: "Zuerst war von 1.000 Quadratmetern Fläche die Rede gewesen", police reported later. According to media reports, around 1,000 square meters of very rugged, rocky terrain were in flames. "Derzeit seien etwa 8.000 Quadratmeter betroffen", the officers continued. Dense smoke was visible from far away and clearly perceptible even from a distance.

Challenges on the terrain

The topographical conditions posed particular challenges for the emergency personnel. "Es werde also Löschwasser vom Hintersteiner See zur Kafa Alm transportiert", it was reported. There the helicopters would then "auftanken" and fly to the fire site. "Parallel dazu wurde auch die Wasserversorgung für die Luftbrandbekämpfung aufgebaut, zum Ort des Geschehens konnte man mit den Löschfahrzeugen nämlich nicht zufahren", reported the online edition of the "Tiroler Tageszeitung". The fire brigades primarily handled the "Wasserpendelverkehr".

Firefighting from the air and on the ground

Firefighting was carried out from the air and from the ground. Accordingly, the fire was fought both from the air by helicopters and by ground crews on the ground. "Zwei Helikopter waren an Ort und Stelle, zwei weitere seien angefordert worden", the emergency personnel reported. Ultimately, three firefighting helicopters were deployed. "Löschflüge mit Hubschraubern führten am frühen Abend offenbar zu einem ersten Erfolg, das Feuer breitete sich vorerst nicht weiter aus", the crisis team said.

The Scheffau fire brigade was cautious in the evening: "Vorerst könne noch nicht von einer Entspannung gesprochen werden, hieß es von der Feuerwehr Scheffau. The operation continued Tuesday evening until nightfall and was to be resumed on Wednesday. To locate the smoldering hotspots, the ground also had to be dug up and extinguished. "Der Brand konnte mittlerweile eingedämmt werden", police reported later.

Work on Wednesday morning

On Wednesday, 29 July 2026, the extinguishing work continued in the early morning hours. A fire watch was kept overnight and the work was then resumed at around 6:00 a.m. Extinguishing work had been continued until 9:20 p.m. the previous evening and a fire watch had been set up for the night. "Am Mittwochmorgen gab es noch schätzungsweise bis zu 100 Glutnester zu bekämpfen, hieß es von der Feuerwehr. On Wednesday morning, around 80 personnel were still fighting the smoldering hotspots.

The fire brigade announced: "Der Einsatz wird noch einige Stunden andauern." The cause of the fire remained unclear for the time being and was subject to investigation. APA reported on 28.7.2026. Police reported the forest fire and coordinated the situation together with the fire brigades. The state crisis management, the district captain and the mayors of the affected municipalities accompanied the operation.

Investigation into the cause

Overall, the situation was under control by Wednesday morning, but not yet concluded. "Verletzt wurde durch das Feuer niemand", and "Auch Siedlungsgebiet war nicht betroffen." The dense smoke had caused widespread alarm on Tuesday, and the state crisis management had reacted quickly. With the containment of the fire, the acute hazard was initially brought under control.