More than 120 firefighters still tackling ‘devastating’ New Forest blaze

Firefighters tackle the fire at a major heathland blaze in the New Forest (Andrew Matthews/PA) - (PA Wire)

More than 120 firefighters are continuing to tackle a “devastating” blaze on internationally protected heathland in the New Forest National Park, which is “rarer than rainforests”.

The area hit by the blaze, which started after a van caught fire on the nearby A31 near Ringwood on Sunday, is protected heathland which is home to a number of rare species, according to the New Forest National Park Authority.