Firefighters spend second night battling ‘devastating’ New Forest blaze

Efforts to contain a “devastating” blaze in the New Forest will continue into a second night as firefighting crews race to protect the fragile heathland and rare species.

The area hit by the blaze, which started after a van caught fire on the A31 near Ringwood on Sunday, is protected heathland that is home to a number of rare species, according to the New Forest national park authority.

“Heathland is more rare than rainforest and takes decades to develop – the New Forest has the most extensive area of lowland heath remaining in Europe,” said Gillie Molland, the park authority’s lead ranger.

“The loss of rare species and biodiversity is devastating and upsets the delicate ecological balance of the forest, as well as reducing grazing land available for commoners’ animals.”

The blaze threatens rare species including all six UK native reptiles, Dartford warblers, nightjars and insects.

Molland said recovery was possible, but it could take decades for some features of mature heathland to return.

“Some rare heathland species may be lost or recover very slowly if local populations have been affected,” Molland said.

Climate breakdown has been linked to the increasing frequency of wildfires, burning larger areas, across many parts of the world. The so-called “fire wave” currently under way in the UK is the most widespread the country has ever seen, and the combination of wet winters and prolonged heatwaves has exacerbated the risk.

The spokesperson added that it was too early to tell how much damage had been caused as the fires were still burning.

Hampshire fire and rescue service, assisted by neighbouring services, initially sent 26 fire engines and four water carriers after receiving 160 emergency calls reporting that an HGV had caught fire.

The fire service said the blaze had spread from the vehicle to the central reservation before advancing into nearby heathland in a south-easterly direction and was in a “challenging rural location”.

“We expect to have a significant presence for several days, as we work to protect this beautiful part of the New Forest,” a fire service spokesperson said.

On Monday afternoon, the service was using police drones to monitor the spread of the fire covering a 1 sq km area of heathland off the A31.

More than 120 firefighters, 10 fire engines and 13 off-road vehicles were on scene fighting the blaze through the afternoon.

“We plan to maintain this number of vehicles until at least midnight, although it is likely to be required for longer,” the service spokesperson said.

“We ask that you continue to avoid this area, with road closures still in place, while our teams work to save this part of our beautiful countryside.”

The fire service has warned people living nearby that it may need to lay hoses across their properties as it draws water from a nearby lake.

Forestry England said in a statement that it was supporting the emergency services tackling the fire, which it said had spread to Bratley Wood and the surrounding area, which includes a Canadian war memorial.

The statement continues: “Incidents like this can be devastating to all of the things that make the New Forest so special. Our team will be carefully assessing the impact once the incident is fully resolved.”

A Hampshire constabulary spokesperson said that 23 vehicles were left behind by motorists on Sunday, which were moved by police. The owners were asked to call 101 to be reunited with their vehicles.

A National Highways spokesperson said its contractors were on the scene and added: “There is significant damage to the road surface, road safety barrier and boundary fencing as a result of the fire and a subsequent oil spillage from the burnt-out vehicle.

“All of which will require emergency repairs when safe to do so.”

Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire fire and rescue service declared a major incident on Sunday as two large fires in woodland put a strain on resources, after several wildfires had broken out in the UK during recent weeks.