Huge Fire Destroys Europe’s Biggest Ski Factory
14th October 2020
Last modified on May 20th, 2021
The Fischer ski factory in the Ukraine has been severely damaged in a blaze. Its cause is unknown and an investigation is continuing.
It occupies a 20-hectare site and firefighters were called in the early hours of Monday morning.
It took them three hours to bring the blaze in the one-story building under control and they prevented it spreading to the main warehouse.
According to the The State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine the blaze began in the roof of a production shop.
No-one was injured.
The Austrian manufacturer, Fischer, produces 60% of its skis from the factory and the plant also makes skis for a number of other brands.
It produces other sporting goods including hockey sticks and running shoes.
Around 1,000 people were employed at the factory.
It was the biggest in Europe producing hundreds of thousands of skis and snowboards.
The factory is located in the Ukranian town of Mukachevo in the Zakarpattia region.
The factory began in 1944 with Fischer becoming involved in the 1980s.
It began making skis in that part of Ukraine as skis were originally made from wood and the area is covered by dense forests.
More recently it has been used as production costs are cheaper than western Europe with transportation and export relatively simple.
An investigation into the fire is underway.
We will update this story as we receive more information.
Last August 90- year old Joseph Fischer died.
The Austrian, who was the son of the founder of the Fischer Ski brand, passed away.
Alongside his sister, Josef Fischer took over the leadership of the Fischer family company at the age 30, following the death of his father.
We paid tribute to him on PlanetSKI
Ski entrepreneur Josef Fischer dies at 90
