Fontainebleau forest near Paris reopens after devastating wildfire
The popular Fontainebleau forest near Paris largely reopened to the public on Saturday following a wildfire in July that damaged part of the beloved nature area. About 80 percent of the forest is now accessible, though some zones remain closed for safety reasons.
The popular Fontainebleau forest near Paris reopened to visitors on Saturday after being partially damaged by a wildfire last month. While part of the forest remains closed, around 80 percent of the area is now open again, drawing crowds of walkers, climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts eager to enjoy the late summer weather.
The expansive forest, located about 60 kilometres southeast of the French capital, is especially known among climbers, who travel from around the world to scale its famous boulders. Gilles Moutounet, a 59-year-old retail executive who spends most weekends climbing there, described the reopening as a welcome return to familiar routines. Nearby, Stefano Rosso, an Italian climber close to 70 years old who has visited the forest's climbing spots for three decades, arrived with his wife shortly after the reopening while on holiday in the region, expressing happiness both for themselves and for the local community and businesses.
Access to the forest had been restricted since last month's wildfire, which burned roughly 2,000 hectares — about 10 percent of the former royal hunting grounds. The restricted zone covered close to 4,000 hectares in total, half of which was directly affected by the fire, with the rest serving as a buffer area. Benoit Kaplan, deputy prefect of the Seine-et-Marne department, said firefighters continue working daily to extinguish remaining hotspots.
About 20 percent of the forest remains off limits, marked by warning signs, because many burnt trees are still at risk of collapsing. Forest worker Julien Vabre voiced concern that reopening could lead to campfires or people venturing into restricted areas out of curiosity. Kaplan urged visitors to stay on designated paths and reminded them that fires and smoking are banned to prevent further blazes in vegetation dried out by repeated heatwaves. France has experienced three heatwaves this summer amid a historically hot European season marked by drought and wildfires linked to climate change.
