Firefighters work ‘tirelessly’ to contain A31 New Forest fire
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service received 160 emergency calls on Sunday (9 August 2026) evening
Firefighters are beginning a third day of tackling a fire in the New Forest which they say they are “managing to contain” after working “tirelessly” through the night.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, assisted by neighbouring services, initially scrambled 26 fire engines and four water carriers to the eastbound A31 after receiving 160 emergency calls reporting a van had caught fire on Sunday evening.
The fire service said the blaze spread from the vehicle to the central reservation before progressing into nearby heathland in a south-easterly direction towards Backley Bottom, and is in a “challenging rural location”.
An update released on Tuesday by the fire service said that a change in wind direction had “provided a challenge” overnight but it was managing to prevent “spread and escalation” with the help of a police drone to prioritise hotspots and flare-ups.
A total of seven fire engines with water carriers and off-road vehicles were involved in the operation overnight which continued to use water being pumped through miles of pipes laid from a nearby lake as part of a high volume pump (HVP) system.
And the A31 – the main route through the New Forest – remains closed, with National Highways saying that repairs needed to “significant” damage to the road surface, safety barriers and boundary fencing can only start once the fire is safely under control.
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.