Fire on A31 near Ringwood forces motorists to abandon cars

More than 20 motorists abandoned their cars after a fire broke out on the A31 near Ringwood, Hampshire, at about 17:20 BST on Sunday. The blaze started when a van caught fire and then spread into nearby heathland, and drivers left vehicles on the dual carriageway.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said 26 fire engines were at the scene tackling the blaze. Four water carriers were initially deployed as crews battled the fire, with the response later scaled back to 10 engines on Monday. Firefighters worked through the night, and smoke from the incident formed a plume visible for miles, drifted across the New Forest and could be smelled on the Isle of Wight.

The fire spread into heathland, an ecologically important habitat home to a wide range of wildlife and sensitive wetlands. The flames spread onto internationally protected heathland. One woman said she feared her family's car might go up in flames before abandoning it.

The New Forest National Park Authority issued a wildfire update on the A31 heathland fire, while New Forest District Council urged residents to keep updated from official sources. Firefighters were still working into the night and for several days after the fire began, and images from the area showed charred woodland and smoke seen as far away as Portsmouth. A recovery estimate put severe heathland wildfire recovery at 5 to 30 years depending on how hot the fire burned and whether the soil and seed bank survived.