A gesture made lightly has turned into a serious environmental emergency in the Austrian mountains. During a family outing near Innsbruck, a 12-year-old boy set off some firecrackers, causing a large forest fire. In a few moments, the sparks found fertile ground in the dry vegetation, giving rise to a fire that destroyed around eight hectares of forest along the Nordkette mountain range, at over 1,400 meters above sea level.
The difficult shutdown operations
The rescue intervention was immediate but extremely complex. Around 150 firefighters were mobilized to contain the flames, supported by four firefighting helicopters. The operations lasted over two days, complicated by the slope of the terrain, the absence of passable roads and the presence of numerous simultaneous outbreaks. In some areas, firefighters were forced to intervene manually, digging the ground to extinguish the points that were still active. Only after many hours was the fire brought under control, while the all-clear was postponed to ensure maximum safety.
The twelve-year-old’s confession
The turning point came on the Monday following the fire, when the twelve-year-old, accompanied by his father, spontaneously showed up at the Innsbruck police station. The boy admitted to lighting a pyrotechnic object during the excursion. According to what has been reconstructed, he and his father initially attempted to put out the flames, but the drought, the tall grass and the rapid spread of the fire made every attempt futile. At that point the call for help was made and they were removed from the area for safety reasons.
A wake-up call for Italy too
The episode has reignited attention on the fire risk linked to the use of fireworks, especially in periods of prolonged drought and above average temperatures. The alarm also concerns Alto Adige, where the authorities have reiterated the absolute ban on lighting fires in the woods and throwing cigarette butts or lit matches within a radius of 20 meters from forest areas. The institutions invite citizens and local administrations to take greater responsibility, especially during the holidays, to protect forests, the environment and public safety.
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