A fire broke out near the iconic site of Stonehenge yesterday, causing nearby roads to shut and emergency services to rush to the scene.

Smoke clouded the area, forcing the A303 to shut down temporarily.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said:

"We were called just after 4pm yesterday with reports of a field fire at Stonehenge.  Crews from Amesbury, Wilton and Salisbury along with landrovers from Ludgershall, Cranborne and water carriers from Poole.  Hampshire also sent appliances to assist.

"On arrival crews found multiple seats of fire within the field and these were extinguished using beaters and hose reel jets.  The stop came in at 4:20pm and the incident was scaled back pretty quickly and as we threw a lot of resources at it early on to avoid escalation of the fire. The A303 was closed briefly due to the smoke but was soon re-opened."

The incident occurred as the UK experienced it’s hottest day ever recorded- with temperatures hitting up to 40°C.

Wiltshire Times: Temperature showing heat levels of 40°C in one car driving through Wiltshire. Photo: Trevor Porter.Temperature showing heat levels of 40°C in one car driving through Wiltshire. Photo: Trevor Porter.

READ MORE: UK records 'highest ever' temperature as heatwave scorches

Climate attribution scientist at the Met Office, Dr Nikos Christidis said: “In a recent study we found that the likelihood of extremely hot days in the UK has been increasing and will continue to do so during the course of the century, with the most extreme temperatures expected to be observed in the southeast of England. 

“Climate change has already influenced the likelihood of temperature extremes in the UK. The chances of seeing 40°C days in the UK could be as much as 10 times more likely in the current climate than under a natural climate unaffected by human influence.

“The likelihood of exceeding 40°C anywhere in the UK in a given year has also been rapidly increasing, and, even with current pledges on emissions reductions, such extremes could be taking place every 15 years in the climate of 2100.”