Blandford Forum | Posted on June 25th, 2026 | return to news

Flaming irony — Blandford fire engine catches on fire

The A350 at Charlton Marshall was closed after a fire engine caught on fire on Wednesday 24 June.

You know it’s the middle of a heatwave when a fire engine catches fire!

At 6.24pm on Wednesday 24 June, a crew from Blandford Forum were on route to an incident when the fire started in the vehicle.

Fortunately, the crew were able to stop safely on the A350 at Charlton Marshall and no one was injured.

Crews from Wimborne and Sturminster Newton were mobilised to deal with the fire, , and two breathing apparatus wearers and three hose reel jets were used.

The fire has destroyed the vehicle cab and caused damage to the adjacent grass verge and telegraph cables and significant damage to the carriageway.

Local residents heard what sounded like explosions, which were the vehicle’s tyres and cylinders on board, including breathing apparatus sets, being destroyed by the fire. An investigation into how the fire started is now underway.

The road was re-opened for one lane of traffic on Thursday 25 June after the vehicle was recovered. The A350 at Charlton Marshall will be closed overnight from 25 June to 26 June while SGN carries out emergency gas works. Dorset Council’s highways teams will assess the road and repairs are set to take place on Saturday 27 June.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said the firefighters involved were checked over as a precaution by paramedics, with no issues found. An investigation into how the fire started is now underway.