Crews tackling major blaze on protected heathland in the New Forest after A31 vehicle fire

Firefighters are working in "challenging conditions" to tackle a fire on internationally protected heathland in the New Forest National Park after it spread from a vehicle.

The fire service expects to be at the scene near the A31 in Hampshire for the "foreseeable future".

There is currently not expected to be any need for properties to be evacuated.

The area hit by the blaze is protected heathland which is home to a number of rare species, with officials calling the incident "devastating".

A spokeswoman for the New Forest National Park Authority said: "It's rare heathland which globally is more rare than rainforest with lots of rare species.

"We have the highest concentration of lowland heathland in western Europe and it's internationally protected.

"It is home to all six UK native reptiles, Dartford warblers, nightjars, insects - it's devastating."

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said it received more than 160 emergency calls reporting a vehicle on fire on the eastbound A31 at 5.24pm on Sunday.

The service said the fire spread from the vehicle to the central reservation before progressing into nearby heathland.

Twenty-six fire engines, four water carriers, six off-road vehicles and several command vehicles were initially at the site near Ringwood.

On Monday, this was scaled down to 10 fire engines and 13 off-road vehicles.

By the afternoon, the service was using drones to monitor the spread of the fire.

The fire service said: "There are more than 120 firefighters on the scene battling the heat and arduous terrain, in order to prevent further fire spread.

"We are monitoring the fire, which is affecting a one square kilometre area of heathland off of the A31, with police drones.

"Currently, we have 10 fire engines and 13 off-road vehicles in attendance, and we plan to maintain this number of vehicles until at least midnight, although it is likely to be required for longer.

"We are grateful for the support from our neighbouring fire services, as well as others from across the country who are working alongside our firefighters with specialist vehicles and equipment, to resolve this incident.

"We know that the A31 is a crucial part of our road network, and in these summer months, many of you will want to go out to enjoy the New Forest, but we ask that you continue to avoid this area, with road closures still in place, whilst our teams work to save this part of our beautiful countryside."

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People living nearby have been warned firefighters may need to lay hoses across their property as water is drawn from a nearby lake.

The fire service added: "The fire is in a challenging rural location, where maintaining a steady water supply can be difficult."

Firefighters have been laying a high-volume pump system across Ringwood to provide a "reliable and sustainable supply of water" to crews tackling the fire.

People have been urged not to drive over the hose as this could "cause damage and result in loss of water", while motorists have been told to avoid the area with the A31 remaining closed.

A local resident said the fire was understood to have started in a lorry close to Picket Post services on the A31.

Sue Bassett, a worker at a Shell garage at the services, said the road and petrol station had been shut but the fire had moved away from the carriageway.

She said: "The smoke is visible from here, you can see smoke from miles around, it's still going strong in the forest but not leaping on to the road.

"There are lots of firefighters, they are pumping water up from the lakes, they are having to run out pipes over the carriageway so they can't open up the road.

"It's almost scary with the rivers running low on water, it's a challenge."

Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident on Sunday as two large fires in woodland put a strain on resources.

Several wildfires have broken out in the UK in recent weeks.

There have been large blazes at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.

(c) Sky News 2026: Crews tackling major blaze on protected heathland in the New Forest after A31 vehicle fire