Firefighters are embarking on a third day of tackling a major blaze in the New Forest which officers report they are "managing to contain" after spending the night working "tirelessly".
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, aided by crews from neighbouring services, initially deployed 26 fire engines along with four water carriers to the A31 eastbound following 160 emergency calls regarding a van catching fire on Sunday evening.
The fire service confirmed that the flames spread from the burning vehicle onto the central reservation and then into nearby heathland, travelling south-easterly towards Backley Bottom within what is described as a "challenging rural location".
A Tuesday update from the fire service highlighted that a shift in wind direction had "provided a challenge" overnight, but crews managed to prevent further "spread and escalation" with aid from a police drone monitoring hotspots and flare-ups.
A total of seven fire engines, accompanied by water carriers and off-road vehicles, carried out the overnight response, continuously drawing water from a nearby lake through miles of laid piping using a high volume pump (HVP) system.
The A31 – the main arterial route across the New Forest – remains closed, with National Highways confirming that required repairs to "significant" damage affecting the road surface, safety barriers and boundary fencing can begin only once the fire is completely under control.
A deputy chief fire officer said firefighters are likely to be battling the New Forest fire “for some time to come”.
Shantha Dickinson, of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, said it had been a “very challenging few months so far for wildfires”, adding that tackling them was “incredibly resource-intensive”.
Discussing the New Forest fire, Ms Dickinson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Our firefighters and all of our emergency responders have been working in incredibly difficult conditions actually for the last 36 hours since the event started on Sunday evening due to a van fire.
“And we’re likely to be there for some time to come.”
She added: “We’re battling hard to get it under control.
“It currently covers an area of about a kilometre square. So just to put that into perspective, that’s about 140 football fields, so rolling heathland of beautiful countryside.”
The fire service said in a statement: “Crews have worked tirelessly throughout the night, a change in wind direction provided a challenge to the firefighting operations but thanks to the efforts of firefighters we are managing to contain the fire.
“We have been using a mix of fire engines and off-road vehicles to damp down and cool the edges of the area involved in the fire to prevent spread and escalation.
“The police drone is being used to enable us to prioritise hotspot areas and manage flare-ups.
“Overnight we had a slightly reduced presence with seven fire engines on site plus water carriers, off road vehicles and support vehicles but are planning to increase this for a larger scale attack today.
“We are maintaining water supply to the site through combination of water carriers and the High Volume Pump (HVP) system.
“We recognise that the hoses that have been laid as part of this system do in places go across access to homes in the area and we thank residents for their support and patience.
“The HVP allows us to move large amounts of water over a longer distance, helping crews maintain a continuous supply while they work to bring the fire under control.”
Gillie Molland, lead ranger for the New Forest National Park Authority, said that the affected area included protected lowland heathland which is home to “many nationally and internationally rare species – including all six of the UK’s reptiles, insects, plants and birds such as Dartford warblers and nightjar”.
She said: “Some rare heathland species may be lost or recover very slowly if local populations have been affected.”
Forestry England said it would be “carefully assessing the impact” of the fire after it was put out but said: “Incidents like this can be devastating to all of the things that make the New Forest so special.”
A Hampshire Constabulary spokeswoman said that 23 vehicles were left behind by motorists on Sunday, which were moved by police, with the owners asked to call 101 to be reunited with their vehicles.
Bournemouth Water, which supplies Ringwood and the New Forest, has asked residents to reduce water usage as the need for fighting the fire has added to the pressure put on supplies in the area because of the summer’s heatwaves.
General manager Richard Stanbrook said: “The prolonged hot weather over the last few weeks, paired with firefighting activity from recent large fires, has resulted in exceptionally high demand on our drinking water network.
“To help protect water supplies across the network and reduce the risk of supply interruptions, we are asking customers to reduce their water usage where possible until temperatures begin to drop.
“We all need to use water wisely in these extreme conditions, and small changes can make a big difference.”
Bournemouth Airport has advised customers to allow more time for their journeys while the A31 remains shut in both directions.
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