THE cause of two large wildfires has been revealed.

The fires in Ashdown Forest, which inspired the Hundred Acre Wood in the Winnie the Pooh books, were started by volunteers on Tuesday.

They began as a result of planned burning that grew out of control.

In a statement, conservators of Ashdown Forest said: “Unfortunately, a freak gust of wind combined with unseasonably dry conditions allowed the fire to spread beyond the area planned and about 35 hectares were affected.”

The day of the fire was the UK's warmest February day on record with the Met Office reporting temperatures of more than 20 degrees centigrade in London.

It was the first time temperatures this high had been reported in winter.

The first, larger fire was caused by a “planned burn” of gorse and was reported at 12.30pm.

The second was at Kidd’s Hill, Nutley, at about 1.30pm and was started by sparks from a bonfire at about 12.30pm.

It was part of work being done by a group of regular conservation workers.

Both fires grew out of control and more than 65 firefighters and 13 fire engines attended the scene.

The fires raged for several hours, and East Sussex Fire and Rescue service posted on social media at 5.53pm to say that they had both been brought under control.

In a statement, conservators of Ashdown Forest said: “We would like to offer our thanks to everyone who helped us control and manage two fires which affected Ashdown Forest this week.

“We are most grateful to members of the public who contacted us to report the fires’ spread and to firefighters from East Sussex Fire and Rescue, our staff and volunteers who promptly and bravely worked to deal with the fires.

“The good news is that neither fire will cause any long-term damage to the habitat or landscape and only a small proportion of the forest, a little more than one per cent of its 2,500 hectares, has been affected.”

Conservators said the ground and weather conditions had been checked and monitored carefully before work began.

They also said there was no danger to surrounding properties and, “although the area affected was larger than planned”, the effects of the fire on the habitat were likely to be beneficial in the long term.