A sauna fire late Wednesday evening, January 22, led to the evacuation of 390 guests and staff from a youth sports hotel at the Nassfeld ski resort, located in Austria’s Hermagor district. The incident occurred at approximately 11:15 p.m. when the in-house fire alarm system detected a blaze in the sauna located in the hotel basement.
The Nassfeld ski resort is located in Carinthia, Austria, close to the Italian border. It offers 110 kilometers (69 miles) of groomed ski runs serviced by 29 ski lifts.
The 71-year-old hotel operator, along with two guests from Denmark, attempted to control the fire with handheld extinguishers before emergency services were called. According to the Hermagor district fire brigade, the fire area was already heavily smoke-filled during these initial efforts.
According to the police report, all guests and employees evacuated the building in an orderly manner, with the evacuees temporarily housed in coaches and a nearby sports hall. Five individuals, including four Danish nationals, were treated for suspected smoke inhalation, with four transported to the Villach hospital for further examination.
Fire brigades from Tröpolach, Rattendorf, Watschig, Mitschig, Hermagor, and Waidegg responded to the scene, deploying a total of 11 vehicles and 92 emergency personnel. With the help of respiratory protection teams, the fire was extinguished, and the situation brought under control. Guests were allowed to return to their rooms shortly after 1:00 a.m.
An investigation into the incident, conducted by the State Criminal Police Office of Carinthia, Hermagor district fire investigators, and the Carinthia Fire Prevention Centre, revealed that the fire was likely caused by radiant heat from the electrically operated sauna stove. The fire, classified as a glowing fire, ignited in the sauna area. While the precise cost of the damage remains unknown, further assessments are underway.
The Danish students and teachers staying at the hotel were praised for their calm and orderly response during the evacuation. “The evacuation was carried out smoothly, and everyone remained composed despite the situation,” stated the Carinthia State Police Directorate. While the damage caused by the sauna fire is still being assessed, the quick actions of the hotel operator, guests, and emergency services prevented further escalation of the situation.
This incident comes just a bit more than a year after a major fire in mid-November 2023 in the same ski resort, which broke out at Plattner’s Alpenhotel in Nassfeld, when a blaze broke out in the roof truss area, causing significant damage.
