Very virulent wildfire hits Fontainebleau forest near Paris
A massive wildfire broke out Sunday in the Fontainebleau forest southeast of Paris, burning 800 hectares and partially closing the A6 highway during a busy holiday weekend.
French authorities dispatched two firefighting planes to the Paris region on Sunday after a fire erupted south of the capital, disrupting traffic during a busy summer travel weekend. Officials described the blaze as "very virulent" and of "exceptional scale." It started late afternoon in the sprawling Fontainebleau forest, about 60 kilometers southeast of Paris, a former royal hunting preserve now dotted with quiet villages.
By early Monday, the fire had raced across 800 hectares and was still spreading, prompting the partial closure of the A6 highway, the country's main north-south artery. With nightfall, firefighting aircraft were forced to suspend operations. Around 15 homes were evacuated in the nearby village of Vaudoue, and firefighters were defending several other towns, said the local Seine-et-Marne fire service. Olivier Compta, overseeing the operation, said that without the planes, other villages would already have been evacuated.
Some 400 firefighters worked to contain the flames, which erupted just before the July 14 national holiday and the first major weekend for summer holiday departures. Traffic was disrupted on highways and the high-speed rail line to the southeast. Eric Brocardi of France's national firemen's federation said it was the first time fire bomber planes had been sent from the normally drier and hotter south to extinguish fires in the Paris region. Two firefighting helicopters and an observation aircraft also aided the effort.
French rail operator SNCF reported delays of up to six hours for trains at Paris's Gare de Lyon. The Paris region and much of France are currently experiencing the third heatwave since May, increasing fire risk. The heatwaves have broken temperature records across Europe and caused thousands of excess deaths in Belgium, Britain, France, and Spain. Scientists from World Weather Attribution said June's heatwaves would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change. In France, three nuclear power stations were shut down due to the heat, and the Tour de France shortened Sunday's stage by 30 kilometers as temperatures neared 40°C. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who planned to visit Fontainebleau on Monday, said forest fires have already consumed 17,000 hectares this year, and the final figure could reach 25,000 hectares — "twice as much as the same period" in 2025.
