Forest that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood is on fire

(Image credit: Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

published 30 April 2019

Ashdown Forest, the land that served as A.A. Milne's inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood, has been on fire since Sunday, with about 50 acres destroyed as of Monday night.

The forest is in England's Sussex County. A spokesman for the fire service told BBC News the undergrowth was "very dry in the forest, despite the recent rain, and the fire caught quite quickly." Investigators do not believe the blaze was intentionally set. In February, two fires were accidentally started in the forest by volunteers who were there to help with a controlled burn.

This latest fire has destroyed an unknown number of bird eggs and nests, forest ranger Chris Sutton told BBC News. "Reptiles like adders and lizards would not have been able to move fast enough," he added. "Large animals like foxes and deer would have been able to move out of the area quite quickly." Within four weeks of the fire being completely out, there should be grass growing again, Sutton said, "and in six months you probably won't know too much has gone on here."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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