As of: March 15, 2024, 5:27 p.m
By: Johannes Welte
Comments
Press
Split
A column of smoke stands over Lake Plansee near Reutte in Tyrol, causing a forest fire.
© Reutte Fire Department/Facebook
A smoker set fires in several places on the idyllic Plansee in Tyrol.
Over 130 emergency services were deployed.
The arsonist's motive is a mystery to the police.
Plansee - If you drive from Linderhof Castle in Bavaria over the Ammersattel to Tyrol, just behind the Austrian border, you will have the feeling of having suddenly landed in Norway.
The 77 meter deep azure Plansee nestles like a fjord in the Ammergau Alps.
It is the second largest natural lake in Tyrol, which is also connected to another water paradise, the Heiterwanger See, via a short canal.
It's unbelievable what a 36-year-old Austrian did here on Thursday (March 14th).
Fire at Lake Plansee in Tyrol (Austria): Suddenly clouds of smoke rise above the lake shore
Shortly after 1 p.m., passers-by discovered clouds of smoke in the area of the two lakes.
Fires broke out in several places in the ground vegetation, which was still dry after the winter, and spread to the trees.
The fire departments from the neighboring towns of Reutte, Breitenwang, Lechaschau and Höfen immediately responded.
“Some of the fires had penetrated into impassable terrain, which made extinguishing work very difficult for the fire brigade and had to be temporarily stopped due to the risk of falling rocks,” reports the Tyrol State Police Directorate.
The Planseestrasse from Linderhof to Reutte was closed so that emergency vehicles could travel freely.
Extensive fire extinguishing work on Lake Plansee: Helicopter throws water bombs into the flames
The Landeck fire department then sent a fire brigade drone to better investigate the sources of the fire; in many places on the bank there are only narrow hiking trails.
The police helicopters Libelle Tirol and Libelle Vorarlberg also support the fire brigades from the air.
Helicopters dropped depth charges on the flames.
The Reutte mountain rescue service was also on site to protect the emergency services.
“At 7 p.m., extinguishing work on the ground and from the air had to be stopped for the time being due to the onset of darkness and the impassable terrain,” the police report.
Extinguishing work resumed on Friday morning to extinguish embers.
“To date, no one has been injured and no building has been damaged,” it said.
Police arrest man at Plansee: Smoker admits to setting fire - motive unclear
During the course of the investigation, the police came across a 36-year-old Austrian “in the wider area of the crime scene” who is said to have set the fires.
The man “was arrested and taken to the Innsbruck prison by order of the public prosecutor.”
According to the police, the suspect confessed to having "ignited several sources of fire on Planseestrasse in the area of Heiterwanger See and Plansee between around 1 and 2 p.m. with his lighter or lit cigarettes."
The extent of the forest and meadow area burned cannot currently be estimated, it is said.
“A motive for the arson has not yet been established.”
My news
Severe weather changes with thunderstorms: Storm Gabi “makes it really rip” read
Porsche stops public bus on ghost ride in Zillertal ski area – owner talks about “bad feeling” read
Four-ton shark swims in the Adriatic: crazy sighting in front of a seaside resort in Italy
Italian mafia conquers Lake Garda – tourist places infiltrated by clans
"Wow!
“Pure goosebumps”: Aida captain woke passengers from their sleep reading in the middle of the night
Climate activists cause traffic jams – Austrians have to pay a fine for driving too slowly
The Tyrolean mountains recently made headlines because there were numerous accidents on the ski slopes.
There was a spectacular rescue operation on the Großvenediger after ski hikers got lost.
In the Zillertal, a public bus had become self-employed and crashed into a Porsche.