Forest fire in Chiemgau Alps forces disaster declaration as Bavaria deploys air observers

Fire breaks out in Chiemgau Alps

On Wednesday evening around 18:00, a forest fire was reported in the Hochwand area near the Lackenbergwand, close to Unterwössen in the Traunstein district. A visible column of smoke rose from the summit area at about 1,000 meters altitude. The fire spread downhill overnight toward the Oberwössen part of the municipality. By Thursday, the Traunstein district office declared a state of disaster to centrally coordinate the response. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and no injuries have been reported.

Firefighting in difficult terrain

More than 200 emergency personnel from fire brigades, mountain rescue, ambulance services, and police were deployed. The steep, inaccessible summit area made direct ground attack impossible. "You can't reach the original fire with vehicles," a fire service spokesman said. Instead, crews built long hose lines and installed circular sprinklers to create a wet barrier and prevent further spread. A shuttle system with water tankers supplied the operation. Three police helicopters dropped water using external load containers, and by Thursday six helicopters from Bavaria and neighboring Austria were in use. Drones with thermal imaging cameras helped locate hotspots, though their flights had to be coordinated with helicopter operations.

“Yesterday evening and during the night we started laying long hose lines and setting up so-called circular sprinklers every few meters. You can imagine it like a large garden sprinkler. That way we water the area not affected by the fire to prevent further spread.”

Preventive air patrols across Bavaria

With forest fire danger rated high by the German Weather Service, authorities in several Bavarian regions ordered air observation flights. In Middle Franconia, volunteer pilots and trained observers from fire services and forestry offices will scan forests from the air until Sunday afternoon. The government of Lower Bavaria ordered flights from Saturday to Monday, with the second-highest fire danger level expected across almost the entire region by Monday. The Middle Franconia authority warned that even the smallest ignition sources could start fires, with the risk likely to rise due to day-trippers.

Warnings and disruptions

Residents were urged to keep windows and doors shut and to switch off ventilation and air conditioning due to heavy smoke. A hazard alert was issued via the modular warning system (MoWaS) for the entire Traunstein district, warning of possible odor nuisance. The B305 federal road was closed in both directions toward Reit im Winkl and Marquartstein because of the firefighting operation.

Echoes of the Saurüsselkopf fire

The fire service spokesman noted that conditions at the outbreak were similar to those during the Saurüsselkopf fire near Ruhpolding in May 2026. That fire spread and took a month to fully extinguish. The current fire has also expanded downhill, but the scale remains unclear. A local resident expressed shock but confidence in the responders.

“It's quite shocking, I have to say. Because you don't expect something like this to happen. But the forces on site are great. We won't have to be afraid directly, because they are really capable and do their job well.”