23/08/2026
After two weeks in attendance, firefighters are now in a position to leave the scene of the New Forest wildfire off of the A31.
Two of our off-road vehicles will continue to support Forestry England with monitoring the area until later this evening when they will return to station.
With the A31 reopened, we have received a number of calls reporting what appears to be smoke. This is believed to be caused by dust and debris being picked up by the wind.
If you do see fire please dial 999 immediately.
Our firefighters, along with support teams from across the organisation, have worked tirelessly for the past fortnight, helped by our partner agencies and colleagues from other fire services, including national specialists.
Thank you again to the local residents for their patience and understanding with the disruption to their area, and we recognise the many kind offers of support received from members of the community. We must also thank the Rapid Relief Team who helped fuel our firefighters through the hot and tiresome conditions they were battling the fire in, by providing food and drink.
Although we’ve had a bit of much-needed rain in some areas, it is important we all continue to do our bit to help prevent damaging wildfires destroying our beloved countryside.
With a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues in place, we ask that you pack a picnic, avoid lighting campfires or bonfires, fully extinguish smoking materials and take your litter home with you.
If you come across an outdoor fire, get to safety, dial 999 and provide a What3Words pinpoint so firefighters can quickly locate and access the fire to prevent it escalating.
