A fire destroyed part of the Upper Maxlrainer Alm in the Spitzing area during the night on Sunday. The damage amounts to around 50,000 euros. 45 people were evacuated.
Spitzingsee - According to the police, the alarm went to the rescue control center around 2:30 a.m .: The Obere Maxlraineralm was on fire, the emergency call said. At this point it was already clear that it would be an assignment with very special challenges. Because the mountain pasture at 1520 meters below the pigeon stone is not accessible in the conventional way.
The duty manager on duty therefore not only alarmed the fire departments Schliersee, Neuhaus, Spitzingsee, Fischbachau, Hausham, Miesbach and Rottach-Egern. He also immediately requested the all-terrain Quads (ATVs) of the mountain guards Leitzachtal / Bayrischzell and Hausham. You should take care of the transport of people and materials up the mountain. The mountain rescue surgeon Schliersee was also consulted. The Bergwacht München weekend forces supported the rescue operation.
Snow groomers bring firefighters to the mountain
After a brief briefing on the situation at the church in Spitzingsee, the mountain rescue service and fire brigade started towards the Schwarzenkopf. With the help of the ATVs, rescue personnel were quickly brought to the fire site. But hut operator Matthias Schmidlin also made his contribution: together with an employee, he brought his two snow groomers down into the valley and made them available for the transport of people and materials.
The fire brigade's emergency services.
© Ralf Poeplau
In the meantime, the first firefighters were using heavy breathing apparatus and high-pressure extinguishers to fight the flames up on the mountain. Before the fire department arrived, hut employees had already started fighting the fire. Schmidlin: "You have achieved incredible things."
According to initial knowledge, the fire had broken out in the rear area of the roof structure. The smoke detectors woke the 38 overnight guests and seven employees who were in the hut at the time. All of them were able to get to safety in time. The overnight guests were a group from the Munich area and surrounding area who celebrated their 40th birthday on the Alm. Three people had to be examined by an emergency doctor and suffered slight smoke gas poisoning. With the help of the mountain rescue vehicles and the hut operator's two snow groomers, the evacuated people were brought down to the valley and looked after by the rescue service at the Arabella Alpenhotel. A team from the Berg crisis intervention service was also present. A total of over 130 men and women from rescue organizations were deployed during the night.
Cause of fire probably in the area of the fireplace
The extinguishing work continued until around 7 a.m. The fire was limited to the rear part of the roof structure, so that the larger part of the hut was not affected. The police are currently assuming damage of around EUR 50,000. Officials of the Rosenheim long-term criminal service immediately began to investigate the cause of the fire. The further investigation will be carried out by the specialized commissioner of the Miesbach criminal police. According to owner Schmidlin, the cause of the smoldering fire may be in the area of the fireplace.
Operation should start again as soon as possible
First and foremost, the hut owner is glad that no one was seriously injured in the fire. The shock, of course, is deep. Schmidlin took over the pasture in January last year and, after extensive renovation work, only began to manage it a few weeks ago. On his initiative, the lifts up there started up again. The Obere Maxlraineralm offers 55 beds, most of them under the roof. The Alm is very much in demand, there are a number of reservations for the coming weeks. The aim is therefore to restart operations as soon as possible. "We are not giving up, we are optimistic," said Schmidlin in a first reaction on Sunday evening.
Matthias Schmidlin in front of his Alm in February 2019.
© private
First of all, however, is about limiting damage. In view of the announced storm and the snowfall, the roof must be sealed and supported quickly. It is still unclear when the police and fire insurance investigations will be completed and the repair can begin. After all: The front part of the Maxlraineralm is not damaged. At least the entertainment of the tourers could start again soon.
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