Firefighters have brought under control a forest fire in the Kőszeg Mountains after a major operation that continued until late Saturday night, with difficult terrain making the blaze particularly challenging to tackle.
The fire broke out in the early evening of 15 August in the area around the Stájer-houses and the Vöröskereszt, beneath Írott-kő. Initial reports said roughly one hectare of undergrowth was burning. According to the latest information from the Vas County Disaster Management Directorate, a fallen high-voltage power line may have caused the dry undergrowth in the forest to catch fire.
Nearly 70 firefighters involved in operation
The response was mounted at an elevated alert level, involving 16 firefighting vehicles and nearly 70 professional, municipal and volunteer firefighters. Several water jets were initially used to prevent the flames from spreading. However, the terrain presented a major obstacle: the fire engines could not reach the affected area directly, meaning firefighters had to approach the site on foot.
Long stretches of hose had to be laid through the forest to bring water to the fire. Crews also worked with backpack pumps and hand tools to extinguish glowing and smouldering sections. Two water-tanker firefighting vehicles operated continuously to maintain the water supply, writes VAOL.hu.
Civilian drone and forestry teams also helped
The operation required assistance beyond the firefighting crews themselves. Firefighters used floodlights and battery-powered lighting to illuminate the area as work continued into the evening. A civilian drone helped crews survey the fire from above, while forestry specialists assisted on the ground.
Civilian water tankers also contributed to maintaining supplies for the firefighting operation. The difficult conditions and the dry vegetation had raised concerns that the flames could spread rapidly through the surrounding woodland. Earlier reports had warned people not to head into the mountains so they would not obstruct emergency crews.
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Fire contained after hours of work
Firefighters managed to contain the blaze, although follow-up work continued until late in the evening to deal with remaining hot spots. Earlier reports indicated that several points of fire had been identified in the affected area. The fire was reportedly in a less dense section of woodland rather than the area’s pine forest, a factor considered more favourable in terms of preventing rapid spread.
The Kőszeg Municipal Fire Brigade reported shortly before midnight that the operation had been successfully completed and its crews had returned to their station. The latest reports indicate that no residential area was in danger. Authorities have not definitively established the cause of the fire, although a fallen power line is currently considered a possible explanation.
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