Wildfire warriors: the latest developments in aerial firefighting technology

With wildfires around the world burning hotter and for longer developments in aerial firefighting technology are helping those battling the blaze gain the upper hand more rapidly. Jon Excell reports.  

From the devastating blazes that reduced more than a million acres of California to ashes late last year to the ferocious flames that tragically killed 66 people in Portugal, 2017 was a record year for wildfires. Across southern Europe, lives were lost and homes destroyed as dry, hot weather and strong winds led to a doubling of the usual number of forest fires; meanwhile, in the US the forest service spent a record $2bn tackling the problem.

Furthermore, while 2017 was a dramatic year, experts fear we could see more of the same in the years ahead as a combustible combination of climate-change induced extreme weather and increasing levels of human activity in fire-risk areas fuels longer and more severe fire seasons.