Just as AA Milne’s beloved character Winnie the Pooh was inspired by a real bear, The Hundred Acre Wood (home to Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo) was inspired by a real forest. A large section of Ashdown Forest (near Milne’s home in Sussex, about 55km southwest of London), which stirred the writer’s imagination has burnt.
A fire broke out at Ashdown Forest on Sunday night and was reported at 9:30pm. Six fire crews arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. The team was later reduced to four fire engines and crews, which managed to douse the blaze in the early hours of Monday, 29 April.
The fire razed 20-hectares of forest in Sussex County. According to a report from the BBC, Andrew Gausden from the fire service said, ‘The undergrowth was very dry in the forest, despite the recent rain, and the fire caught quite quickly.’
The fire destroyed vegetation in a valley near Duddleswell, and although it is unusual to have a fire in the woods in England at night, no foul play is suspected.
Speaking to the BBC, Ashdown Forest ranger Chris Sutten said that ‘ground-nesting birds would have seen eggs and nests destroyed. The forest is an important habitat for nightjars and Dartford warblers.
Reptiles like adders and lizards would not have been able to move fast enough. Large animals like foxes and deer would have been able to move out of the area quite quickly.’
Mr Sutton also noted that within four weeks the grass will be growing once more and in six months time it won’t be obvious that there was a fire.
AA Milne published the first Winnie the Pooh book on 14 October 1926 while living in the area, near Hartfield.
While there are no obvious signs of Pooh in the forest, people do visit and take photos of themselves playing Poohsticks or searching for the North Pole. Tourists also head to Pooh Corner, in Hartfield, where the Piglet Tearoom serves Pooh Bear-shaped toast, honey (of course) and other treats – and you can buy oodles of Winnie-the-Pooh-related paraphernalia.
Featured image: Eddie Mitchell /Twitter
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