New Forest wildfire costs Hampshire fire service £600,000

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 21:13 · Archive

A New Forest wildfire beside the A31 in August cost Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire service an estimated £600,000.

A New Forest wildfire beside the A31 in August became the largest incident ever attended by Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire service. The blaze required around 5,500 hours of firefighter time and left the service facing an estimated £600,000 bill, according to the fire authority's chief financial officer Rob Sarfas.

The incident occurred during an exceptionally busy summer for firefighters. The service dealt with around 1,400 outdoor fires in July and August, including 75 classified as wildfires—a 52 per cent increase on the same period the previous year. The A31 fire happened while 11 major wildfire incidents were being tackled elsewhere across the UK.

The authority has asked the government to help cover some of the cost and is exploring whether part of the money can be recovered through an emergency funding scheme. Officials warned that the full financial impact of the summer's extreme fire activity has not yet been fully calculated.

How it is being reported

• Hampshire's fire service left with £600,000 bill after New Forest wildfire by A31The New Forest fire this summer was the biggest that the county’s fire service has ever facedThe News, Portsmouth · 9 Oct, 20:58
• New Forest A31 wildfire leaves fire service facing £600,000 billA record-breaking wildfire in the New Forest left Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire service facing an estimated £600,000 bill.Southern Daily Echo · 9 Oct, 18:10

In this story: Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire and rescue service · New Forest · A31

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