Four fires across Purbeck heathland, which all happened within hours of each other, are believed to have been started intentionally according to Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The fire service says that along with Dorset Police, it is now investigating the incidents, which were reported overnight from Saturday 2nd August, until the early morning of Sunday 3rd August 2025.
Firefighters from across Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire were called in to tackle the fires
“We are working with Dorset Police to investigate”
One of the fires which destroyed 19 hectares of heathland was at Newton Heath near Rempstone Forest, while two others were started on the fringes of Wareham Forest. The fourth fire was at Middlebere Heath near Arne.
A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said:
“We believe the cause to be deliberate and we are working with Dorset Police to investigate.”
The tinder dry heathland burnt easily
Crews were out all night from Saturday night into Sunday morning
Decoy Heath near Wareham Forest
The first call out was at 11.12 pm on Saturday 2nd August 2025 to Decoy Heath on the edge of Wareham Forest.
Fire crews from Swanage, Wareham, Poole, Wimborne, and Christchurch attended, along with two water carriers from Wareham and Poole, and off-road vehicles from Bere Regis, Poole, Christchurch, Maiden Newton and Cranborne.
Crews continued to keep the flames under control despite being up all night
Hectares of heathland and woodland have been affected
Middlebere Heath near Arne
Within the hour, at 11.58pm, there was another call to emergency services to report a fire in the open at Middlebere Heath near Arne.
Although many of the firefighters stayed to tackle the first fire, crews from Swanage, Westbourne, Wimborne, Redhill Park, Christchurch, Bridport, Ferndown went to the second fire, along with the Unimog from Wareham, and off-road and support vehicles from Wimborne, Blandford, Christchurch, Hamworthy and Bere Regis.
Resources from Hampshire were also called upon and a water carrier from Ringwood went to help. At the height of the incident, there were approximately 35 firefighters at the scene.
The extent of the devastation is clear to see at Newton Heath near Rempstone Forest
While remote, the site is close to a popular cycle track
Newton Heath near Rempstone Forest
At 3.28 am on Sunday 3rd August 2025 reports came in of a fire at Newton Heath near Rempstone Forest.
Initially a crew from Weymouth was mobilised followed by further crews from Bridport, Poole, Wimborne, Christchurch, Westbourne, Redhill Park alongside the lightweight off-road and support vehicles from Beaminster, Bere Regis, and Dorchester.
Further resources from Hampshire were also enlisted with Lyndhurst in the New Forest supplying a support vehicle, while Eastleigh provided a water carrier.
Smoke rises across Newton Heath with Poole Harbour in the distance
Rangers from the National Trust which owns much of the heath, helped the firefighters where they could
Gore Heath near Wareham Forest
However the night was not over for the fire services and there was a fourth callout at 7.53 am to Gore Heath near Wareham Forest.
This time a crew and an off-road vehicle from Poole attended and quickly put the fire out.
Wildlife experts will attempt to save any rare species once the fires are fully extinguished
Around 36 fire stations attended
Although three of the fires were contained by Sunday morning, the fire at Newton Heath continued.
By 3 pm with the wind fanning the flames, the heath was still alight and additional appliances were mobilised from further afield including Charmouth in West Dorset and Trowbridge in Wiltshire. By then there were around 55 firefighters at the scene.
Overnight more relief crews were called in from places including Warminster, Amesbury, and Mere in Wiltshire.
The fire affected approximately 19 hectares of heathland, with around 36 fire stations tackling the blaze including four from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service.
By the evening of Monday 4th August 2025 crews were still actively firefighting several small seats of fire and are expected to continue to dampen down the heath throughout Tuesday 5th August 2025.
Firefighters have stayed at the scene of the fire at Newton Heath around the clock
“The incident is still not over”
At 5.20 pm on Monday 4th August 2025, Swanage Fire Station reported:
“As you may be aware our station, as well as lots of others from Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire have been attending multiple fires in the area since early yesterday morning.
“Since midnight on Saturday, Swanage Station has been out almost non-stop to fires at Wareham, Arne and Rempstone Forest.
“Today our off road appliance and Land Rover were back out at Rempstone for most of the day damping down the fire ground. The strong winds were making this difficult and causing flare ups regularly. The incident is still not over and will be ongoing for quite a while longer.”
The Studland peninsula and the Purbeck Heaths are rich in nature but easily destroyed by fire
Huge cost to fire services and rare wildlife
This is the most recent in a number of heathland fires in Dorset which are believed to have been started deliberately since March 2025.
Following a series of fires on Sunday 9th March 2025 close to the Perrenco UK oil and gas site at Wytch Farm near Corfe Castle, police constable William Saunders, of Purbeck police, said:
“We believe that the perpetrators may have been using a bike or vehicle when starting these fires so I would ask anyone who was driving in the immediate area at the time this occurred to please review their dashcams to see if they have captured any footage which may aid our investigation.”
At the beginning of July 2025, multiple fires damaged nearly two hectares of heath and scrubland at Holton Heath near Wareham, and the fire service said it believed the cause to be deliberate.
Five months since the start of the incidents, Dorset Police detectives appear not to be any further forward in being able to prevent the arson attacks.
A spokesperson for Dorset Police said:
“I can confirm we are working with the fire service to investigate these fires and following all viable lines of enquiry.”
Firefighters from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service along with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service continue to risk their lives to keep others safe.
As well as the huge operational cost to the fire services, there has been an immeasurable cost to the environment and the rare heathland wildlife.
Watch Swanage Fire Station video
Further information
- More about fire risks on Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service website
