Ashdown Forest fire: Second large blaze in two months tears through woodland that inspired Winnie the Pooh

Area was inspiration for Hundred Acre Wood, the fictional home of characters in AA Milne's children's classics

A large fire has torn through woodland that inspired AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh for the second time in two months.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze spread across 15 hectares (37 acres) of Ashdown Forest after burning through Sunday night.

The forest was the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood, the fictional home of Milne’s Pooh bear in his series of children’s classics.

Seven East Sussex fire crews supported by firefighters from Kent and West Sussex battled through the night to tackle flames which tore through the undergrowth in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Ashdown Forest Rangers and Sussex Police also attended, with officers using a drone to survey the fire ground.

Andrew Gausden, incident commander, said: “We received numerous calls at 9.30pm last night from members of the public and the police regarding a fire in the Ashdown Forest.

“It’s unusual to have a fire of this size at night. This seems to have caught hold before people noticed.

“The undergrowth was very dry in the forest, despite the recent rain, and the fire caught quite quickly.

“The fire ... was significant with approximately 15 hectares alight in a valley area behind the back of Duddleswell.”

Firefighters left the forest at 10am on Monday after extinguishing the blaze. They returned later in the day to inspect the scene.

The cause of the fire is not yet known but it is not thought to have been started deliberately.

A similar blaze occurred in late February when flames took hold at the woodland amid unseasonably dry conditions.

AA Milne’s country home at Cotchford Farm, Hartfield, is located just north of the forest.