UK Government invests £100m in wildfire resilience measures ahead of summer

by ActiveBreaking NewsFirefighting Equipment

The UK Government has announced a £97 million investment in national resilience assets as part of measures to strengthen wildfire response capability ahead of the summer months.

The funding will support what the Government describes as the largest upgrade of national resilience fire assets in almost 20 years, including new specialist equipment and vehicles for Fire and Rescue Services.

Dedicated off-road appliances will also be introduced to improve access and operational effectiveness in challenging terrain, supporting crews responding to wildfires and other complex incidents.

The new wildfire response teams will be hosted by Fire and Rescue Services in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland, London and South Wales.

The teams will be able to deploy to incidents across England from the end of June, providing additional specialist capability during the peak wildfire season.

According to the Government, crews have undergone intensive training in wildfire response techniques, including tactical burning, with firefighters also learning from international colleagues experienced in large-scale wildfire incidents.

Building Safety Minister Samantha Dixon said: “This country benefits from a dedicated Fire and Rescue Service operation and, as incidents continue to evolve in complexity, it’s critical that we back those on the front line with the latest equipment.”

Dixon added: “Last year witnessed some of the most devastating wildfires in our recent history and, as we head into peak season, we’re delivering the resource, training and assets needed to minimise the escalating risk.”

The Fire National Resilience Programme was established following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 to provide specialist capabilities, personnel and resources for Fire and Rescue Services responding to major national emergencies.

The latest investment will support the modernisation of existing resilience assets and improve the national response to incidents including wildfires, flooding and structural collapse.

National resilience capabilities were deployed more than 1,000 times during 2025, highlighting the increasing demand placed on Fire and Rescue Services and the need to maintain specialist response resources.

Patagonia fires fuel calls for more firefighters and prevention resources

by Americas - Featured NewsFeatured NewsWildland Fire

Patagonia fires in Los Alerces National Park

Two major wildfires in Argentina’s Patagonia region have burned at least 21,000 hectares of forest and grassland in and around Los Alerces National Park in Chubut province.

Mongabay reported that the fires broke out in January, threatening parts of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Los Alerces National Park spans more than 259,000 hectares and contains the alerce tree (Fitzroya cupressoides), a cypress that can live for more than 3,600 years.

It is also home to species including the monito del monte (Dromiciops gliroides) and the Magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus).

NASA satellite readings put one fire starting on 5 January in the southern part of the park between the Rivadavia, Futalaufquen and Menéndez lakes.

A second fire broke out on hillsides in the north.

The cause of the fires remained unclear in the reporting, with the prosecutor’s office reportedly confirming one of them was set intentionally.

Around 3,000 residents and tourists were evacuated.

Smoke and fire reportedly spread beyond the park and came close to National Route 40, causing road closures and traffic delays.

A social media post from park officials said high temperatures, low humidity and “constant wind” would continue to be risk factors in the park.

The fires had not been completely extinguished at the time of reporting.

Budget cuts and agency capacity

Environmental groups and analysts have linked the response and prevention challenges to reduced funding and staffing for environmental programmes.

Greenpeace Argentina said: “We demand that the national government and the provinces provide more prevention, firefighters and infrastructure to respond quickly to fires, and penalize the destruction of forests.”

Mongabay cited a financial analysis by the Foundation for Environment and Natural Resources (FARN) which said the environment undersecretariat’s budget shrank by 79.4% between 2023 and 2024.

The same analysis said the National Fire Management Service lost 81% of its budget.

It said the National Fund for the Enrichment and Conservation of Native Forests had no spending for the year.

Greenpeace reported that the National Parks Administration has 400 firefighters and said the minimum should be 700.

Those firefighters were described as covering around 5 million hectares.

Manuel Jaramillo, director of the Wildlife Foundation of Argentina, told Mongabay: “Generally, at the political level, fire begins to be a topic of conversation when there is already a declared fire and when it has reached such magnitude that it has become a public issue.

“There is a lot of preparation, a lot of concern to be able to improve coordination.”

Hernán Giardini, coordinator of Greenpeace’s forests campaign, said: “The climate crisis demands preparation for an increase in fires, and political leaders must stop denying or underestimating this situation.”

The article also reported that Chubut Secretary of Forests Abel Nievas called the incident the “worst environmental tragedy in 20 years.”