Two farming brothers used hundreds of candles to warm their fragile apricot trees during a cold snap.

Christoph and Michael Simon, from Mollram in the district of Neunkirchen, Lower Austria, described how the sudden drop in temperatures in early April nearly destroyed their newly planted organic apricots.

Determined not to lose their crop, the duo launched an 'apricot rescue operation', lighting 400 frost candles and keeping watch through the night among the vulnerable trees.

With weather forecasts predicting severe sub-zero temperatures, the two feared all their hard work would be wiped out.

Christoph said: 'We were particularly worried about our organic apricots, which are currently bearing tiny fruits. They are even more vulnerable than the blossoms themselves.'

When temperatures plummeted to zero degrees Celsius one night, the brothers sprang into action. Alongside an employee, they lit 200 frost candles across one hectare of orchard.

Dramatic footage shows the scene as rows of flickering flames illuminate the fields, creating a stunning visual and a critical barrier against the cold.

As the temperature continued to drop, they added another 200 candles.

The brothers estimate that only 2,000 of approximately 5,000 organic apricot trees were protected during the frost event.

Christoph added: 'We only put the candles on the third of the crop and you can see that on the other two thirds this really is a difference.'

The pair had previously experienced crop loss due to a severe storm last year and took early precautions this season in response to weather forecasts predicting frost.