This summer, a wildfire completely destroyed 19 homes and damaged 18 more in Stourbridge.
The record-breaking number of blazes persuaded the government issue an emergency alert to all UK phones.
Regardless of the cause, some of the fires spread quickly and rapidly – with fire crews struggling to contain blazes across the country.
So, how can a young man, helped by Prince William, potentially stop fires before they get out of control?
Today, Prince William announced the latest cohort of Earthshot Prize finalists.
Today, Prince William announced the latest cohort of Earthshot Prize finalists.
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Five winners will each receive £1 million at the awards ceremony in November, to scale up their solution to repair the planet for future generations.
Satellites on Fire is a finalist in the Clean our Air category which uses artificial intelligence (AI), satellites, cameras and weather data to detect and predict wildfires.
So far, it operates across 21 countries and protects or monitors around 92 million hectares.
Franco Rodríguez Viau was just 16 and at school in Argentina when severe wildfires struck in 2020.
His family and friends lost their homes, and Franco and two classmates began speaking to firefighters, forest rangers and other experts.
They repeatedly heard that identifying a fire early can make all the difference; it’s much easier to contain a fire while it’s still small.
So, the teenagers began developing a project which became Satellites on Fire and Franco has become the company’s cofounder and chief executive.
“It was really a mix of curiosity and passion for the people who were near me,” he said.
“I was 16 when we started, in 2020, and I didn’t know what a company was. I was just passionate about speaking with firefighters and forest rangers and understanding why these fires were becoming so catastrophic.”
The company’s alerts can be sent directly to emergency teams by WhatsApp, SMS or email and users of the app can see where fires are located.
It also allows them to see how blazes are moving, and the likely spread of flames.
Satellites on Fire has not launched its own satellite network, but connects existing ones into a single platform.
Franco claims this makes his technology more affordable and adaptable for both major governments and small communities.
It is understood the company detects fires an average of 35 minutes faster than Nasa and now works across 21 countries on five continents.
Could Britain be the next country to join, with a royal endorsement and access to a growing network of big-time investors through earthshot?
Previous finalists have raised around £800 million in investment after entering the Earthshot network.
However, Dimple Patel (CEO of 2024 finalist NatureMetrics) told us the funding market had become more difficult, particularly for companies trying to move from a viable product to a large-scale deployment.
She said: “Scalability is about adoption. On the voluntary side, we have seen customers move away, and I think the political landscape has given people permission to back away.”
“The economic argument has only become more compelling. We have responded by changing the way we talk about our technology, being able to speak very clearly about the impact on the broader economy, on your company, and what it means for you today. It is a shift in the language we speak in order to drive adoption.”
Earthshot chairman Jesper Brodin said it’s up to private finance and large companies to make a difference, but conceded they are reluctant due to fears of accusations of greenwashing or political criticism.
He told us: “Companies sometimes feel shy because they are criticised for greenwashing by the environmental side, sometimes rightly, and, on the other side, we have seen changes in politics across borders. People are being limited into silence.”
“I believe Earthshot gives big corporates an opportunity to shine without having to put the spotlight on themselves. We continue to look at it from an impact point of view: where there is genuine impact, we will celebrate those leaders and companies.”
Ahead of a predicted hot summer in 2027, let’s see if a teenager’s dream can prevent more homes being destroyed by wildfires in Britain.
Prince William is expected to travel to Mumbai, India, for the Earthshot Prize awards on 17 November – hosted by Bollywood royalty Karan Johar.