More than 120 firefighters are continuing to tackle a “devastating” fire on internationally protected heathland in the New Forest National Park, which is “rarer than rainforests”.
The fire started after a van caught fire on the nearby A31 near Ringwood on Sunday, and spread to protected heathland which is home to a number of rare species, according to the New Forest National Park Authority.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, assisted by neighbouring services, initially deployed 26 fire engines and four water carriers to the eastbound A31 after receiving 160 emergency calls reporting that an HGV had caught fire.
It said the fire spread from the vehicle to the central reservation before progressing into nearby heathland in a south-easterly direction, and is in a “challenging rural location”.
The service warned locals and tourists to avoid the area while firefighters “work to save this part of our beautiful countryside.”
