New Year's Eve vandalism in Vienna: Millions in damage caused by illegal firecrackers!

New Year's Eve vandalism in Vienna: Millions in damage caused by illegal firecrackers!

New Year's Eve in Vienna once again showed its dark side this year. In the districts of Floridsdorf and Favoriten there was massive property damage due to illegal pyrotechnics and vandalism. As ad-hoc-news.de reports, the police had to carry out numerous operations in large residential buildings during the celebrations because the banned firecrackers and rockets were set off in courtyards. The perpetrators left a “trail of destruction” behind, which was reflected in damaged facades, destroyed garbage containers and burned green spaces.

Wiener Wohnen was in constant use with a mobile team to minimize the risk of fire. This measure was also urgently needed because there have been an average of over 60 fire operations on public holidays since 2020. During these busy nights, not only balconies and garbage dumps were on fire, but the danger from broken glass, burnt Christmas tree remains and unignited pyrotechnics also increased. What's particularly alarming is that the cause is often the improper use of fireworks and dry remains of Christmas trees, as the city found. Families and animals are therefore exposed to high risks.

Statistics and security warnings

The financial consequences of these riots are significant. The city expects damage to run into the millions, usually around 1.6 million euros. The clean-up work began on New Year's Day, with numerous teams busy removing broken glass and remaining pyrotechnics. The majority of the damage also has consequences for the city's resource planning, as the repairs will take several weeks.

In view of the situation, Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer warned urgently about the dangers of illegal firecrackers. In December, for example, customs seized 4,714 illegal fireworks, including many without safety markings. ots.at reports that the unmarked pyrotechnic items pose high risks because they do not meet the required safety standards. The number of safety-related products is constantly increasing, and the import of unauthorized pyrotechnics by the Federal Police has also increased significantly.

Risk assignments

The legal situation is clear: setting off fireworks of category F2 or above in the local area is strictly prohibited, and violations can result in fines of up to 3,600 euros. But the deterrent effect of these penalties appears to be limited. The incidents are often distributed decentrally, which makes it difficult for the police to intervene seamlessly. The city hopes that the recent events could stimulate discussion about tightening the handling of pyrotechnics.

In a broader context, the sad outcome of New Year's Eve 2024/25, in which five people lost their lives due to illegal pyrotechnics, shows the urgent need to increase safety for all residents. The use of fireworks is never completely free of dangers, as numerous negative experiences in recent years have shown, as presseportal.de makes clear. For many, the question remains how to enjoy the joy of the New Year without putting yourself and others at risk.

The City of Vienna will continue to try to find ways to prevent such incidents in the future while clean-up work and damage assessment are already underway.