At a military training site in Surrey, southeast England, a small team of firefighters battled water on the surrounding heathland as they practiced tackling a different kind of enemy: climate change.
The county’s fire service is investing in new equipment, training and tactics to respond to the threat of wildfires, which is growing as the UK climate becomes drier and more unpredictable.
Last summer, when the country experienced drought and the highest temperatures ever recorded, there was a spate of wildfires, including the largest fire in recent UK history in Surrey, which burned 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) miles) extended.
Parts of the region are also seeing more wildfires in addition to the generally hotter, drier summer months, according to the fire service.
However, Surrey is not unique in the UK in that, despite its reputation for wet weather and rolling green hills, wildfires are increasingly common across the country.
“We are now treating wildfires like business as usual,” Surrey fire investigation officer Matt Oakley said when colleagues showed their new kit at the site, which was ravaged by wildfires last year.
“And as the next two decades go by, the situation will become more dire,” he told AFP, blaming rising global temperatures.