A wildfire that has burned through roughly 1 sq km of heathland and woodland in the New Forest was still not fully extinguished on Tuesday, with fire crews warning the operation could stretch on for several more days. The A31, the main route into the national park, remained closed with no reopening date given, while more than 120 firefighters worked to stop smouldering peat beneath the surface from reigniting the flames.
Smoke drifted over the empty carriageway of the A31 late on Tuesday as a helicopter circled overhead. Crews at the scene said they were struggling to contain several hotspots across the scorched heathland as shifting winds complicated efforts to fully extinguish the fire.
They are really worried that as they dampen down the top, the peat underneath is still alight and spreading the fire. It is too dry, too windy, and it is a real struggle.
According to figures released by the National Fire Chiefs Council on Tuesday, July was the busiest month on record for wildfires in the UK, with fire services responding to 966 blazes so far this year, 458 of them in July alone.
How bad is the current fire risk across England?
Conditions are exceptionally dry, with large parts of the country still recovering from an unusually prolonged dry spell. The Met Office confirmed on Tuesday that the UK is on track for its hottest summer on record by average temperature, and authorities declared almost three-quarters of England to be officially in drought as of Monday. Parts of England are also bracing for a fifth heatwave of the summer this week, with scientists linking the increasing frequency of extreme heat, drought and wildfires to the broader climate crisis.
This New Forest blaze follows a pattern of wildfire activity that had already been building across the UK earlier in the summer. Our earlier coverage detailed how the third heatwave of the summer intensified wildfire activity across England and Wales in mid-July, and how fire services faced extreme pressure from major incidents in Conwy and Glossop around the same period. Separately, similar conditions have driven fire crews in Gironde, south-west France, to battle week-long wildfires as temperatures there approach 40C.
What is being done to bring the fire under control?
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said it is contending with multiple challenges, including sustaining a reliable water supply, navigating difficult terrain, and adapting to constantly changing wind direction, while attempting to scale up its response to the blaze. Britain, unlike several European countries, has no dedicated water-bombing aircraft for wildfire response.
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 … to prevent spread and escalation. The police drone is being used to enable us to priorities hotspot areas and manage flare-ups.
The fire and rescue service said its current fleet of ten fire engines and thirteen off-road vehicles would remain deployed at the scene until at least midnight, with an extended presence expected beyond that, according to the New Forest National Park Authority. Police drones are also being used to help crews identify and prioritise hotspots as flare-ups continue across the site.
As emergency services worked through the night, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigades Union renewed calls for greater investment in resources to help crews cope with increasingly extreme climate conditions.
The fire was first reported after a vehicle caught alight on the A31 near Ringwood at around 5.20pm on Sunday, 9 August 2026, before spreading rapidly into the surrounding forest. Forestry England said the flames initially took hold in Bratley Wood and the area around the Canadian war memorial, according to a regional broadcaster's report. The source article had described the origin as a lorry fire, while the New Forest National Park Authority's own account attributes the ignition to a van; both details are reported here given the discrepancy between sources.
What impact is the fire having on the New Forest and its wildlife?
Each summer the New Forest national park draws millions of visitors who camp, hike and cycle across its heathland. This year, prolonged dry conditions and the human-driven climate crisis have transformed the Hampshire landscape — which has gone 59 days without rain — into terrain reminiscent of the American south-west.
Debbie Tann, chief executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, described the damage as severe.
It is devastating. It is just dry tinder across the whole forest. It has spread really quickly because of these dry conditions. The New Forest is one of the most important habitats in Europe. It has so many rare species in the heathland – reptiles, adders, lizards, and then the birds like night jars. This is going to have a devastating impact.
How is the closure affecting tourists and local residents?
The A31 dual carriageway, usually packed with holiday traffic in August, sat empty and silent on Tuesday with authorities unable to say when it might reopen. Two Shell petrol stations near the village of Burley stood shuttered along the deserted route.
A high-pressure yellow water pipe ran five miles along the abandoned highway from a stream near the village to the fire site, supplying the more than 120 firefighters — many drawn from stations across the country — who continued working to contain the blaze.
Sue Oatway, a Burley resident, said the local community had mobilised to support firefighters, many of whom are volunteers, by collecting food and drink for them. Firefighters reportedly thanked the community for its support in messages posted to a local WhatsApp group.
I have never seen it so dry here. Someone posted a world map today on a social media group. I knew about the wildfires in Canada and Europe, but the scale of them I didn’t know. They are everywhere, and now here on our doorstep.
Outside Oatway's home, New Forest ponies sought shade beneath withered, browning trees amid dried-out bracken. With the A31 shut, tourist traffic has been diverted onto narrow back roads through the forest, causing congestion, even as many holidaymakers try to continue their trips despite the fire entering its fourth day.
Jason Bunsell, who had been camping with a friend at Ashurst on Sunday night when the fire broke out, recalled the moment he first noticed it.
We were coming back on our bikes and saw this big thick black cloud above, we thought it was a storm. Then we got back to our campsite and my wife sent a message to me saying: ‘How far are you from the fires, are you all right?’
Ian Buckman, a district lead volunteer with Arundel and Littlehampton Scouts who was guiding 26 scouts and explorers on a cycle ride near Burley, said he had never witnessed the forest in such dry condition and called the environmental impact substantial.
What does this mean for the local tourism economy?
Tourism forms the backbone of the local economy, with leisure and recreation activity within the national park generating an estimated £107.6m in income annually. The continuing threat of fire spread, combined with concerns over air pollution, has prompted officials to urge visitors to stay away from the area for now.
Forestry England, which manages roughly half of the national park, said the effort to contain the fire is likely to continue for several days. Esta Mion, a spokesperson for the organisation, explained the uncertainty facing crews.
We are very much asking people to stay away … it’s unpredictable. We just don’t know how long this incident could go on for. We’re certainly thinking it could be the next few days, for sure.
Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the independent National Heat Risk Commission and a professor in practice at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said the summer's events should prompt urgent government action.
As the prime minister tours every region of the UK, it will be hard to miss the impacts of this extraordinary summer: wildfires, drought, parched farmland and people struggling to work in extreme heat. The government must now act with urgency to prepare the country for a hotter climate, cutting emissions while investing in the resilience of our homes, infrastructure, farms and public services.
What happens next?
Forestry England said on Tuesday that although the fire is currently considered under control, lingering flames on site mean crews may need a significant presence for several days yet, according to a national broadcaster's live coverage. National Highways said it still cannot say when the A31 will reopen to traffic. Meanwhile, the New Forest National Park Authority confirmed that the Bratley View, Canadian Memorial and Bolderwood car parks will remain closed and are likely to stay shut for the rest of the week as the operation continues.
Key Facts
- The fire began after a vehicle fire on the A31 near Ringwood at around 5.20pm on 9 August 2026.
- It has burned an estimated 1 sq km (over 100 hectares) of heathland and woodland, according to the New Forest National Park Authority and Forestry England.
- More than 120 firefighters, ten fire engines and thirteen off-road vehicles are deployed at the scene.
- The A31 remains closed with no confirmed reopening date; several car parks are expected to stay shut all week.
- July 2026 was the busiest month on record for UK wildfires, with 458 incidents recorded, per the National Fire Chiefs Council.
