A group of Austrian firefighter who have been branded the “worst firefighters in the world” burned their own fire station down to the ground. Along with the station itself, six fire engines perished in the 3 million (GBP) blaze in which occurred in Syke, northern Germany.

It took 250 firemen from nearby towns to finally bring the inferno under control.

Investigators believe the fire fighters could have triggered the blaze themselves in a training exercise accident. Faulty wiring could also be the cause.

The weekend blaze was the second time the brigade has lost all its engines in a fire as the station was gutted by a fire in 1994.

“A fire service that can’t even keep its own fire station and engines safe doesn’t exactly inspire confidence,” raged one local.

Original story at Austrian Times.

Don’t try this at home – that is use a blowtorch to melt snow, especially when there is a wood home nearby. A New Bedford, Mass. failed to heed this advice when he used a blowtorch to melt ice on his back porch. He ended up setting his house on fire, causing up to $30,000 in damage.

Fire Capt. Scott Kruger tells The Standard-Times of New Bedford the man was using a torch hooked up to a 20-pound propane cylinder. He got too close to the building’s wood frame and ignited the vinyl siding. The fire quickly spread into the building’s second- and third-floor apartments.

It took 25 firefighters to subdue the blaze that damaged bedrooms in the upstairs units, and caused damage to the structure and wiring.

Fortunately nobody was hurt in the blaze, with the exception of the man’s poor ego.