A31 closure extended as firefighters continue to deal with heathland fire with new 'hotspots' found

A dual carriageway closure has been extended as firefighters continue to deal with a nearby blaze.

The A31 near junction 2 of the M27 has been shut since a fire broke out on August 9. It started from a crashed HGV but spread to a historic heathland nearby.

At one stage more than 120 firefighters were deployed to the scene to fight the flames and contain the inferno. After it was originally planned to reopen the A31 by today (August 20), this has now been extended.

A National Highways social media statement said: “A31 between M27 J2 (Ower) - A338 (Ringwood) is closed in both directions following an ongoing heathland fire. Fire and rescue service have found a small number of hotspots and extended the closure.”

The traffic body said the area effected by the fire is estimated to be 165 acres, approximately the size of 200 football pitches. Significant damage has been caused to the highway infrastructure. At least 1,500 metres of boundary fencing and vehicle restraint barriers needs to be replaced.

“Resurfacing of the carriageway has been completed, new safety barriers installed, and we’re making good progress replacing the boundary fencing,” National Highways said. “These measures are essential for safety reasons to deter animals from entering the road.

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“With the fire raging for over a week, we have found a lot more damage since our initial assessments and the repairs required are now more substantial. As a result, we now expect work will continue into the weekend.”

The last update from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) was issued on August 17. The force said: “We are pleased to say that we are now in a position to reduce the number of resources in attendance.

“Our firefighters continue to dampen down the area, checking for hotspots and preventing the fire from reigniting, and we expect to remain on the scene for the next few days. During this time our teams will also be packing up equipment that has helped us tackle the fire for the past nine days, as well as beginning the process of handing over the A31 back to our National Highways colleagues, so they can commence their essential repair works.

“We ask that you continue to avoid the area, but also want to share our thanks for all your continued patience, support and understanding over the past week. Firefighters from across the country have worked incredibly hard, day and night, and through the heat, to contain and extinguish this fire.”