Austria mobilized 13,000 firefighters in one day as heavy, wet snow affected most of the country
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This week Austria faced one of its most disruptive winter emergencies in years as more than 13,000 firefighters from over 1,300 fire brigades were deployed across seven federal states to deal with widespread snow damage, blocked roads, stranded motorists, and power outages.
Only Carinthia and Vorarlberg escaped the worst of the storm’s impact, according to Austrian fire‑service reports.
Illustration Credit: This is imaginary rendering of the situation in Austria on February 20, 2026. Illustration executed by Chat GPT from a prompt by Bjorn Ulfsson, CTIF.
The crisis began in the early hours of the morning of Friday February 20th, 2026, as heavy, wet snow accumulated rapidly, weighing down trees until they snapped and collapsed onto roads, rail lines, and power infrastructure. Fire‑service control centers reported hundreds of emergency calls, with dispatchers warning that clearing the backlog would take hours.
Roads Blocked, Vehicles Stranded, Power Lines Down
The situation echoed earlier Austrian winter emergencies documented by national media. In similar heavy‑snow events, trees repeatedly snapped under snow load, blocking major routes and tearing down power lines — exactly what unfolded again during this storm. Austrian News previously described how deep winter conditions can paralyze entire regions, with vehicles stuck on motorways and emergency crews working nonstop to free roads and restore power.
During the current event, the pattern repeated:
- Cars and trucks became stuck on inclines.
- Fire brigades were dispatched to free stranded motorists.
- Power outages spread across multiple districts.
- Local authorities urged residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel.
Firefighters Battling Snow on the Ground — and on Rooftops
In several regions, firefighters were not only clearing roads but also removing snow from rooftops to prevent structural collapse. Heavy, wet snow is particularly dangerous because of its weight — a hazard highlighted in international reporting, which notes that this type of snow can cause roof failures, power outages, and dangerous conditions for emergency responders.
Austrian media have documented similar operations in past winters, where firefighters and military personnel used specialized equipment — including off‑road Unimog trucks — to reach remote areas and clear dangerously overloaded roofs.
Ski Resorts Cut Off, Avalanche Risk Rising
The snowstorm also intensified the avalanche danger, which had already been elevated across the Alps during the 2026 winter season. International outlets reported that several Austrian ski resorts have been cut off entirely in recent heavy‑snow events, requiring helicopter supply missions and large‑scale snow‑clearing operations.
Avalanche warning levels in parts of the Alps have repeatedly reached Level 4 or 5, the highest danger categories, due to rapid snowfall on unstable snow layers — a pattern documented throughout the 2026 winter by European and U.S. media.
A Nationwide Emergency Response
The scale of the deployment — 13,000 firefighters in a single day — underscores the severity of the situation. Austria’s volunteer‑based fire‑service system is one of the largest and most active in Europe, and during major winter events it becomes the backbone of national disaster response.
This text is based on a press release from the Austrian Public Relations and Awareness Raising / ÖBFV Competence Center for Communication.
Further reading:
https://austrianpress.com/2023/12/03/snow-chaos-paralyzes-austria/?
https://www.snow-forecast.com/roundups/austrian-ski-resorts-blocked-by-heavy-snow?
https://thesnowchasers.com/blog/avalanche-safety-discussion-europe-2026/?
https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2025-02-04-why-heavy-wet-snow-is-dangerous?