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Environment & Climate

Government plans wildfire AI unit and military aircraft support

At Friday's first wildfire resilience summit, Andy Burnham will announce the AI unit, and the prime minister will announce £45m for fire crew protective equipment.

Updated Oct 22, 2026 · 22:14 UTC2 reports

The short version

  • Andy Burnham will announce a wildfire AI unit in the National Situation Centre at Friday's summit.[The Guardian]
  • The prime minister will also announce £45m for fire crews to buy wildfire-specific protective equipment.[The Guardian]
  • Military planes and helicopters will be made available to fight wildfires on hard-to-reach terrain.[The Guardian]
  • These are pre-announcement reports, so final details remain unconfirmed until the summit.[The Guardian]

Key facts

  • Andy Burnham will announce a wildfire AI unit in the National Situation Centre at Friday's first wildfire resilience summit.[The Guardian]
  • The prime minister will announce £45m for fire crews to buy wildfire-specific personal protective equipment.[BBC News · The Guardian]
  • Military planes and helicopters will be made available to fight wildfires on remote moorland, steep hillsides and other hard-to-reach terrain.[The Guardian]
  • The National Fire Chiefs Council reports 1,350 wildfires in England and Wales this year.[BBC News]
  • The Met Office found that the climate crisis made this extreme heat about 130 times more likely.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • The wildfire AI unit, military aircraft use and £45m funding are reported ahead of the summit, so final details and implementation are not yet confirmed.[BBC News · The Guardian]
  • The 130-times figure is a Met Office estimate of how much more likely the extreme heat became, not a direct measurement of the outcome.[The Guardian]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.