A sustained firefighting operation is set to continue through the night to suppress a blaze that has devastated one square kilometre, or 250 acres, of the New Forest national park in Hampshire. The incident originated on Sunday afternoon when a van caught fire on the A31 near Bratley Wood, triggering a rapid spread of flames into the surrounding landscape. The emergency response necessitated the abandonment of more than 20 vehicles as the fire intensified.
Lindsey Legg, who was travelling back to Bournemouth from Heathrow with her husband and three children, described the chaotic scene. She said Radio Solent that they observed motorists abandoning their cars as the situation escalated. “We started seeing people abandoning their cars. Women and children were walking with buggies,” she recalled, noting that the experience was “pretty scary.”
Legg further explained the moment of intervention: “Police told us ‘you can’t go any further’. We realised the fire was going through the field. We had to abandon the car and cross the central reservation to get away from the side of the fire. We thought the car was going to go up at one point.” Police have since confirmed that the 23 vehicles left behind by motorists were moved to secure locations so they could be collected by their owners at a later time.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service reported that more than 120 firefighters have been working in challenging conditions to contain the blaze. To ensure a consistent water supply, crews laid an 8km (5-mile) hose from Hightown Lake, just east of Ringwood. In some areas, this hose crosses tracks and private property, and residents have been urged not to drive over the equipment to avoid causing critical damage.
Forestry England confirmed that while the blaze is now under control, the firefighting operation is expected to continue for several days. The organization stated it is actively supporting the fire service by implementing car park closures to ensure emergency vehicles maintain easy access to the affected area. Spokeswoman Esta Mion noted that while the situation has improved since the height of the fire, they are still asking the public to stay away due to the unpredictable nature of the remaining flames.
National Highways has announced that the A31 dual carriageway, a vital tourist route to Dorset and south-west England, will remain closed in both directions until further notice. The agency cited significant damage to the road surface and crash barriers resulting from the fire and an oil spillage from the initial burnt-out vehicle. Currently, there is no estimated time for reopening the road.
The ecological impact of the fire is expected to be severe. The New Forest National Park Authority highlighted that the area consists of rare heathland, which is globally more scarce than rainforest. A spokesperson emphasized that the region holds the highest concentration of lowland heathland in western Europe and is internationally protected, serving as a vital habitat for all six UK native reptiles, nightjars, Dartford warblers, and various insect species.
Aerial footage of the scorched vegetation revealed how the fire funnelled outwards in a south-easterly direction, driven by wind conditions. Smoke from the blaze was visible for miles, with reports of the plume being spotted as far as 30 miles away in Portsmouth. The smoke drifted across both sides of the Solent, prompting fire crews to issue warnings for residents to keep their doors and windows closed.
As the operation continues, the combination of the road closure and the ongoing environmental assessment underscores the scale of the incident. The fire service remains on high alert, monitoring the site for flare-ups as the recovery process begins for the damaged heathland and the surrounding infrastructure.
Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles around, including from Portsmouth 30 miles (40km) away
