UK PM announces military aircraft to help fight future wildfires

UK military helicopters and planes will be equipped to fight wildfires, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced late Thursday ahead of hosting England's first "resilience" summit focused on the growing threat they pose.

English firefighting services will also get additional specialist wildfire teams and lightweight personal protective equipment, as the government said it was earmarking up to £45 million ($60 million) to counter the increase in blazes.

The UK has faced widespread droughts, extreme heat and resulting wildfires each summer in recent years, in a trend scientists have blamed on man-made climate change.

One blaze in Stourbridge, central England, in August gutted 19 houses and damaged 18 others, prompting Burnham to warn on a visit there that Britain must face up to the changing climate and accelerate its clean energy transition.

However, the UK leader has faced criticism from environmental campaigners this week after approving plans to start new drilling within a controversial North Sea gas field.

Also this week a watchdog committee of lawmakers warned recent summers have shown Britain lacks preparedness and the ability to respond effectively to wildfires.

Burnham will on Friday convene fire chiefs, local leaders and experts in Liverpool, northwest England, for the first wildfire resilience summit that his government said would ensure "this summer's scenes are never repeated".

"I stood in Stourbridge and watched families lose everything -- I will never forget it," Burnham said in comments released ahead of the event.

"Crews will now have the kit they need to stay safe and military aircraft will stand ready to help tackle wildfires from the sky."

However, Friends of the Earth campaigner Sienna Somers noted the "irony" hosting the summit just days after approving the Jackdaw gas project, which she called "a completely unnecessary carbon-bomb". 

"We cannot keep pouring fuel onto the fire," Somers said.

"Andy Burnham must reject new oil and gas developments and reckless airport expansion, further invest in nature-based solutions to capture and store water, and implement a comprehensive adaptation plan." 

Announcing the new measures and funding, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government said they would include investing in making landscapes more resilient, with financial support for farmers to fireproof their land.

The military component will see Royal Air Force (RAF) Chinook helicopters and a type of transport aircraft equipped to fight wildfires. 

They will deploy when requested, to help firefighting crews nationwide battle blazes on "remote moorland, steep hillsides and other hard-to-reach terrain", the ministry noted.