Fire which devastated 16 hectares of forest at Longmoor Camp caused by British Army exercise, MoD confirms

Firefighters from 20 Portsmouth crews rushed to Longmoor Camp after fire broke out in trees and scrubland on Friday June 16. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service personnel tackled the blaze over the next few days and smoke spread across the county. A statement from the Ministry of Defence said that the blaze was the result of important demolition safety training being conducted by the British Army.

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A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘We take our role preventing and controlling fires on the Defence estate extremely seriously and we use significant mitigations to reduce risk. An investigation continues into the fire at Longmoor Training Area to examine how this can be prevented in the future. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents.’

According to the governmental body, precautions to prevent such an incident were taken prior to the exercise. The ground was pre-soaked with water and explosive charges were elevated off the ground in areas with no vegetation. . An unmanned aerial vehicle was in use to monitor for signs of fire from above, and fire beaters, extinguishers and a water bowser were held in readiness for use.

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While the fire burned, the smell of smoke stretched south west from Longmoor and over the Meon Valley, and could be detected in Waterlooville, Swanmore, Wickham and north Fareham. The stop message was called at around midday on Sunday, June 20.