- Published
Military planes and helicopters will be drafted in to tackle wildfires, Prime Minister Andy Burnham is to tell the UK's first summit on the issue.
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Burnham → publish → issue
Civilian fire services in all four nations will be able to request the support of the Royal Air Force's Chinook helicopters and A400M planes to fight wildfires on tough terrain such as remote moorland and steep hillsides.
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services → request → moorland
Burnham said the measures were needed because "we cannot put people through another summer like this one".
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we → say → one
The government will host its first "wildfire resilience summit" on Friday to discuss how to prevent, respond to and recover from such blazes after a record-breaking summer 2026.
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government → host → summer
Records for the number of reported wildfires were also broken in 2022 and 2025 - but the UK's Climate Change Committee has warned the risk will rise in the coming decades.
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risk → report → decades
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said this was the first time the RAF's Chinooks and the four-engine A400Ms were being equipped to tackle wildfires.
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Chinooks → say → wildfires
Some areas struggled with no air assistance in the summer.
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areas → struggle → summer
RAF Chinook crews have already helped respond, external to wildfires in Cyprus.
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crews → help → Cyprus
In addition to military aircraft, the government said it would also spend £45m on wildfire-specific personal protective equipment for firefighters on the ground.
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it → say → ground
It is lighter than current firefighting equipment which is designed for fires in buildings and not meant to be worn for a long time, the government added.
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government → design → time
Ministers are also pledging a £25m scheme from April 2027 to April 2029 to restore dried-out peatlands in England so they are natural firebreaks, and financial support for farmers to fireproof their land such as by digging ponds.
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farmers → pledge → ponds
"The government will also look at tougher local restrictions or product bans to stop people starting fires when the risk is high," a briefing ahead of the summit said, following a temporary ban on disposable BBQs.
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briefing → look → BBQs
Burnham will meet fire chiefs, local leaders and experts from tech companies at the summit.
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Burnham → meet → summit
"I stood in Stourbridge and watched families lose everything," he said on Thursday, recounting the night of a wildfire that destroyed 19 homes in the West Midlands in August.
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that → stand → August
"I will never forget it.
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I → forget → it
Our firefighters were heroes that day, but heroes shouldn't have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs.
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hand → have → backs
"
Earlier this month, MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee said there were weaknesses in the UK's wildfire preparedness, including access to aerial firefighting resources, securing water supplies during major incidents and coordinating resources at a national level.
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MPs → say → level
MPs said the current system for obtaining aerial firefighting support was "no longer fit for purpose".
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system → say → purpose
At the summit, a "Wildfires AI Unit" will be announced to combine universities, tech firms and officials in the Cobra emergency committee, along Met Office wildfire forecasts and an action plan for England.
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Unit → announce → England
In August, the government convened a Cobra meeting before sending an emergency alert to millions of phones across England and Wales - which sparked a backlash from some.
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which → convene → some
Summer 2026 was the UK's hottest on record, according to the Met Office.
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Summer → accord → Office
In a study on how this summer was impacted by human-induced climate change, it said the heat experienced was made 130 times more likely.
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heat → impact → change
"The wildfires that tore through our countryside this summer showed the urgent need to adapt to our changing climate," Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said ahead of the summit.
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Eagle → tear → summit
"Nature is our greatest ally in preventing wildfires starting in the first place," she added.
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she → prevent → place
Among the other major incidents declared for wildfires across the UK this year were Dunwich Heath and RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk, the Cairngorms, Hampshire and Holme Fen in Cambridgeshire.
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Heath → declare → Cambridgeshire
The Aporia
