In an intense heatwave, motorists found themselves in a dire situation as they had to leave their vehicles behind and trek several miles on a main road due to a significant wildfire near the New Forest yesterday.
The blaze, ignited by a van on the A31 close to Ringwood, Hampshire, rapidly spread to the protected heathland. The fire continues to rage today, with plumes of smoke visible as far as 30 miles away in Portsmouth.
Authorities implored drivers to abandon their cars, warning it was crucial for survival, as the road was cleared to prevent these vehicles from turning into potential hazards in the heat of the situation.
A total of 23 cars were left behind. Among those evacuating were mothers pushing strollers, highlighting the urgency and gravity of the situation.
At the height of the emergency, 26 fire engines were deployed to combat the flames. Fire crews were forced to dismantle sections of the central reservation to clear vehicles from the road and bring the fire under control.
The emergency services had received more than 160 calls relating to the blaze just before 5.30pm.
It comes during a record-breaking dry spell in England, with 27million people subject to a hosepipe ban and a sixth heatwave of the year set to arrive later this week.
Further areas are set to be placed into an official drought today – which is declared when an area has gone more than 50 days without rain.
The area hit by the blaze is protected heathland which is home to a number of rare species including reptiles, according to the New Forest National Park Authority.
Hampshire Police moved the abandoned vehicles yesterday as the fire was being tackled and they will now need to be recovered. Drivers who had to leave their cars were advised to call 101 with their numberplate details so they can be returned.
Hundreds of motorists were held up by the blaze while fire crews worked out how to evacuate them. Those affected explained how huge flames spread across both sides of the dual carriageway about a mile from the Canadian War Memorial just north-east of Shobley.
Drivers were ordered to abandon their vehicles and walk down the side of the road as the fire raged on the fire on the A31 in Hampshire yesterday
Smoke from the wildfire spreads to heathland from the dual carriageway at Ringwood
Clouds of smoke continued to rise this morning from the major heathland blaze in the New Forest
Cows stand in front of a plume of smoke as the wildfire continues today
One driver said: ‘It happened so fast. Some drivers just went straight through the flames. Others did emergency stops, turned around and tried to get back along the carriageway. It was sheer panic.’
Another motorist, who did not wish to be named, told the Daily Mail: ‘The wind picked up and I was sat for about ten to 15 minutes before the police even arrived, to which the two officers were saying completely different things and then both ended up agreeing to tell everyone to get out their cars and walk down the opposite side of the dual carriageway as the fire was spreading rapidly due to the wind picking up.
‘I got made to walk about one to two miles, but as I was walking fire rescue were trying to unbolt the central reservation to try and get some of the cars off the carriage to make the area a bit safer and to allow passage for the fire trucks.
‘After about two hours of waiting I was directed to go back to my vehicle – another one- to two-mile walk – where the fire had been controlled enough for us to safely move them off the carriageway with a police escort.’
He added: ‘The fire service did an amazing job, the fire was less than 10m from some of the cars and none of the cars set alight.’
Motorists were urged to avoid the area and use alternative routes.
Lindsey Legg, who was travelling back to Bournemouth from Heathrow Airport with her husband and three children, told BBC Radio Solent: ‘We started seeing people abandoning their cars. Women and children were walking with buggies.
‘Police told us “you cant go any further”. We realised the fire was going through the field – it was pretty scary.
‘We had to abandon the car and cross the central reservation to get away from the side of the fire. We thought the car was going to go up at one point. It was pretty hairy.’
Temperatures in Hampshire rose above 30C as motorists gathered in the shade next to the road.
Libbi Aldred, 36, said she had been driving on the dual carriageway when around ten cars in front of her began slowing down and putting their hazards on.
She said there was a fire ‘in the middle’ of the road and there was ‘smoke’ and ‘billowing’ flames.
Police urged drivers to leave their cars if they wanted to ‘stay alive’ as the road was cleared
A police officer was filmed directing drivers to the central reservation after a van fire spread to the vegetation by the westbound carriageway near the New Forest
A firefighter said the blaze was out of control
Smoke billowed from the trees next to the road as motorists abandoned their cars
Hundreds of drivers lined the dual carriageway as police worked out how to evacuate them
The fire spread across the ‘tinderbox bracken’ next to the road after a 30C day in Hampshire
Ms Aldred, a dog trainer from Hightown, Hampshire, said another driver – a grandfather who had his grandchildren with him – saw two cars in front of him go through the blaze but that ‘the flames were hitting’ their cars.
He and other drivers turned around and began to head for the previous exit but Ms Aldred said police told them to stay in their cars.
‘We didn’t take that advice,’ she said, because ‘the flames started coming towards us’.
Robert Green said the fire was 400 to 500 yards in front of them.
He said: ‘People abandoned cars, running away on the opposite carriageway carrying kids. Our side was trying to turn around and move back through the middle of the cars but it was chaos.
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‘A police lady told us to get out and abandon the car, was about to when I saw a cop down the road waving some people through. He directed us to a forest track. It was a little bit scary.’
Hayley Sharma-Smith said even far away they could ‘feel the heat like we were around a bonfire’ and they saw animals trotting down the roads to get away.
As the fire spread, police arrived and ordered drivers out of their cars after flames from the van ignited ‘tinderbox bracken’, before fire engines were filmed racing towards the blaze.
A police officer told motorists in the area to get out of their cars and move to the central reservation next to the road if they wanted to ‘stay alive’.
A firefighter was later overheard telling a police officer: ‘We want all the cars and people off the carriageway. Unattended cars are basically bombs when they go off.’
The driver of the van that the fire spread from is thought to have escaped.
A fire officer said: ‘We believe it was a van that caught fire on the road and that set alight to the shrubs at the side of the road.’
Ms Aldred said the fire spread quickly and the wind carried it into the vegetation next to the road.
One resident said the fire was understood to have started in a lorry close to Picket Post services.
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.
Dried out ground around the Maiden Castle Iron Age hillfort in Dorchester, Dorset, today
A worker trims the grass on a cricket pitch in Birmingham today, surrounded by dry ground
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.’
She added: ‘It’s almost scary with the rivers running low on water – it’s a challenge.’
Locals had to be evacuated due to fears the inferno may spread to their homes and cabins.
A couple and their horses staying at a cabin nearby in Burley were evacuated on the advice of the police in the early hours.
The owner, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It came quite close to our house. We were getting ready to be evacuated but at 3am we were told we were probably safe.
‘The people staying at Wilf’s Cabin did go on the advice of the police, they had two horses with them.’
A New Forest National Park Authority spokesman 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.’
The spokesman added that it was too early to tell how much damage had been caused because the incident was still ongoing.
Some 26 fire engines and four water carriers were initially at the site yesterday evening, which was scaled down to ten today.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue 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’.
A spokesman said today: ‘Firefighters continue to tackle the fire affecting heathland near the A31 and will remain on site for the foreseeable future. We continue to have a significant presence in the area as crews work to bring the fire under control.’
In an update, the service added: ‘The smoke, which was clearly visible across the area and from both sides of the Solent yesterday, has reduced significantly.
‘Some smoke remains visible locally, but it is now much less widespread. We currently have ten fire engines and ten off-road vehicles at the scene, with crews continuing to work in challenging conditions.’
The fire service has warned people living nearby that it may need to lay hoses across their property as it draws water from a nearby lake.
The statement continued: ‘Firefighters are also laying a high-volume pump (HVP) system across Ringwood to provide a reliable and sustainable supply of water to crews tackling the fire.
‘The fire is in a challenging rural location, where maintaining a steady water supply can be difficult.
‘The HVP system 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.
‘People in and around Ringwood may see firefighters and equipment involved in laying the system.
‘This is an important part of our response and will help support firefighting operations at the scene. Please do not drive over the hose as this could cause damage and result in loss of water.’
Forestry England said in a statement that it was supporting the emergency services tackling the fire, which it said had spread to Bratley Wood and the surrounding area which includes a Canadian war memorial.
The statement continues: ‘The fire is currently estimated as having affected over 100 hectares.
‘Incidents like this can be devastating to all of the things that make the New Forest so special. Our team will be carefully assessing the impact once the incident is fully resolved.’
Bournemouth Airport, which is located in nearby Hurn Dorset, urged holidaymakers to allow plenty of extra time with their journeys.
It posted online: ‘Please allow plenty of extra time for your journey to Bournemouth Airport.
‘The A31 in Hampshire is closed in both directions between M27, J2 and A338 due to a van fire which occurred yesterday afternoon.
‘The fire then spread to nearby heathland, and as such is now a major incident.’
Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident yesterday as two large fires in woodland put a strain on resources.
Several wildfires have broken out in the UK over recent weeks, including 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.
According to the Fire Severity Index, any wildfires were likely to be exceptionally severe yesterday in almost all of the east and south-east of England. ‘Exceptional’ severity is the highest ranking.
The Met Office data includes rainfall, temperature and humidity, and agencies use the index to assess the severity of fire if it starts. It does not cover the chances of wildfires occurring.
Heatwave conditions will likely return later this week, with a high of 36C expected in parts of East Anglia and the South East by Thursday, according to the Met Office.
So far the extreme weather this summer has included two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June that led to more than 2,800 excess deaths.
Two more heatwaves in July, the driest July in England and Wales since records began in 1836, have fuelled drought and wildfires. An upcoming fifth heatwave was confirmed last week.
