New Forest fire blamed for smell of burning across Worthing

A strong smell of burning reported across Worthing is thought to be caused by smoke travelling from a major heathland fire in the New Forest, with fire crews saying there are currently no incidents in West Sussex producing large amounts of smoke.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service received more than 160 emergency calls after a vehicle caught fire on the eastbound A31 near Ringwood at about 5.24pm on Sunday. The blaze spread to surrounding heathland, prompting a response involving 26 fire engines, four water carriers, six off-road vehicles and several command vehicles. Smoke from the fire was visible from Portsmouth and across both sides of the Solent.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reported incidents locally producing a large amount of smoke and that it was therefore likely to have come from the New Forest fire.