Firefighters have spent several hours tackling a large field fire in the New Forest as crews worked in extremely hot conditions to bring the blaze under control. Emergency crews were called to Nomansland in the New Forest at around 1.30pm on Wednesday, August 12. A significant response was sent to the scene as the fire spread across the field, with firefighters requiring specialist off-road vehicles to reach and tackle the blaze. Six fire engines were involved alongside Land Rovers and other specialist resources. The Unimog from Wareham was deployed to the incident, while a water carrier from Poole was also sent to provide additional supplies for crews battling the fire.
Firefighters worked for hours in intense heat
Firefighters faced difficult conditions as they worked in high temperatures to extinguish the flames and prevent the fire from spreading further. Once the main blaze had been knocked down, crews carried out extensive damping-down operations to extinguish hotspots and reduce the risk of the fire reigniting. After several hours at the scene, the initial firefighters were relieved by fresh crews as operations continued. Specialist off-road firefighting vehicles are frequently used at incidents involving heathland, woodland and fields where conventional fire engines can struggle to reach the seat of a blaze. The cause of the fire and the total area of land affected have not yet been confirmed. The incident comes amid heightened concern over outdoor fires during the prolonged hot and dry conditions, with fire services dealing with a number of significant vegetation fires. Further updates will follow if additional information is released by the fire service.
Originally published by UKNIP.
