Ebenzweier Castle on fire
The major fire of 2016
A cloud of smoke rises, flames are breaking through the roof of Ebenzweier Castle. The roof truss is on fire! At noon on May 9, 2016, a smouldering fire breaks out in the area of the main entrance to the park in the east, which reaches the roof quickly. The roof truss collapses, but the fire continues to spread. The entire castle is in grave danger!
The 285 students of the vocational school must be brought to safety immediately. As the fire continues to spread and the fire-fighting resources of the municipality of Altmünster is insufficient, 18 hoses are brought to nearby Traunsee. There is a temporary closure of the Salzkammergut federal road.
In the evening, 31 fire brigades from the districts of Gmunden and Vöcklabruck are at the scene. More than 450 firefighters and 86 emergency vehicles make this operation one of the largest in the state of Upper Austria in recent decades.
The work continues the following day, May 10. Considerable damage is caused to the listed castle. The roof truss and mansard have fallen through to the second floor. The building is in great danger of collapsing, not only because of the fire, but also due to the masses of water needed to extinguish it.
During the investigation into the cause of the fire, the officers find that an ivy tendril was ignited by a carelessly discarded cigarette. Due to the strong wind, the flames attack the roof timbering. On the third day of the operation, on May 11, three fire brigades with 35 firefighters are still busy extinguishing the embers. Replacement accommodation must be found for more than 200 vocational students who live there.
It was only after 52 hours, on May 11 at 5 p.m., that the fire is reported to be out.
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