B 084 - 2024

Report

On Sunday morning, a black cloud of smoke became visible in the forest above the village of Imsbach, prompting the fire department to be alerted to a “smoke development outdoors.” The Imsbach, Falkenstein, and Winnweiler fire departments responded to locate the exact scene of the incident as quickly as possible. Due to the lack of a water supply at the scene, the Steinbach fire department’s tanker truck was called in for additional support while the units were still en route.

Imsbach, the first unit commander on the scene, quickly determined that the fire involved a forestry machine that had caught fire while being used in the forest. The firefighters were able to launch an initial attack using their tanker truck, thereby limiting the extent of the damage. The machine’s operator had escaped from the cab on his own when he noticed the fire and was treated by medically trained emergency responders.

As the situation developed, the harvester had to be thoroughly extinguished using foam, as the thermal imaging camera detected high temperatures inside the machine. To rule out the possibility of the fire reigniting, the Imsbach Fire Department also conducted a follow-up inspection that evening.