A mountain biker inadvertently started a forest fire in Austria when he stopped to take a break on a long descent, laying his bike down in a meadow, Vorarlberg.orf.at reports. Presumably, the disk brake rotor, hot from the long descent, ignited a tuft of dried grass. The mountain biker attempted to put the fire out on his own, but was unsuccessful. Unable to stop the blaze, he notified the fire department.
The fire started around 4pm near a gondola lift tower, but with the intervention of a police helicopter and fire brigades, the blaze was contained by 6pm. While the lift had to be stopped during the fire, nobody was in immediate danger. The fire appears to have occurred at Bikepark Brandnertal.
This incident is a great reminder to exercise caution when riding in very dry areas, but experts consider this case to be highly unusual.
