- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source
A section of the M25 has been closed amid fears of an 'explosion' from an industrial estate fire that is raging next to the motorway.
The motorway is shut between Junction 22 and Junction 21a near St Albans with thick clouds of smoke wafting across the road.
Firefighters requested that National Highways shut the section of the M25 due to a 'risk of a secondary explosion' as they battled a warehouse fire in nearby Ventura Park.
Locals have been urged to keep their doors and windows closed and have been told to avoid the area.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mark Barber said firefighters are 'working hard to bring the situation under control'.
He said: 'Fire Control has received a significant number of calls regarding this incident, and I would like to reassure residents that firefighters are working hard to bring the situation under control.'
It comes amid a wildfire tearing through the historic New Forest, which is continuing to rage today after a van burst into flames, with the blaze spreading to surrounding vegetation and engulfing 250 acres.
Firefighters are managing to contain the fire, but a change in wind direction is making efforts more challenging, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said.
Another UK wildfire raged as Britain's sixth heatwave of the year will build from today to a 36C peak this Thursday - with no rain in the forecast and almost three-quarters of England now in drought.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) amber heat health alerts will be active for most of England from this morning until Friday evening, warning of a 'rise in deaths'.
A section of the M25 has been closed amid fears of an 'explosion' from an industrial estate fire that is raging next to the motorway
Motorists were forced to abandon their cars and walk miles down a main road in searing heat to escape the major wildfire near the New Forest on Sunday.
Around two dozen vehicles were left on the A31 near Ringwood, Hampshire.
Around 250 acres of heathland, about the size of 140 football pitches, is alight or has been burned or damaged as 1,300-litres per minute of water is taken along a five-mile pipeline from Hightown Lake to fight the flames in the Bratley Wood area.
More than 120 firefighters have been tackling it over the past 72 hours.
The public has been told to avoid the area completely, while the A31 has also been badly damaged and will need repairs before it can reopen, according to National Highways.
The giant New Forest fire in protected heathland is still burning on Tuesday, with smoke visible 30 miles away in Portsmouth.
Police urged drivers to leave their cars if they wanted to 'stay alive' as the road was cleared to avoid the vehicles becoming 'bombs'. Some 23 cars were abandoned, with mothers wheeling children in prams among those forced to evacuate.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.