A wildfire of 'exceptional scale' is sweeping through the Fontainebleau forest southeast of Paris, forcing the evacuation of about 900 homes and disrupting road and rail links. Firefighting planes have been scrambled from the south of France to tackle the blaze, which began late Sunday afternoon and has already burned approximately 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of forest.
Firefighters Battle 'Very Virulent' Blaze
Pierre Ory, the prefect of Seine-et-Marne department, said by Monday afternoon the fire had not been contained and 'continued to progress moderately.' The Paris region remains under the highest heatwave alert. Fire officials described the blaze as 'very virulent' and of 'exceptional scale,' warning it could take several days to several weeks to fully contain.
Eric Brocardi, a spokesperson for France's national federation of firefighters, said it was the first time firefighting planes had been sent from the normally drier and hotter south of the country to extinguish fires in the Paris region. Two firefighting helicopters and an observation aircraft were also assisting. 'The aim is to save lives and property,' he said.
Evacuations and Investigation
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, visiting an operations room in Fontainebleau on Monday, said about 900 homes had been evacuated, no homes had been burned, and no injuries were reported. He confirmed an investigation was underway to determine the cause, noting the fire began at around 10 points simultaneously, suggesting it 'could have been voluntary in origin.' Nuñez added that forest fires have burned 32,000 hectares of land in France so far this year, 'already more than the 2025 season and it's only 13 July.' Since the start of summer, 44 people have been arrested across the country on suspicion of starting fires.
The mayor of Fontainebleau, Julien Gondard, expressed shock and anger, telling local TV station ICI Paris Île-de-France: 'This exceptional area is consumed by flames, we've never seen anything like this. The forest is fragile and it's in a critical condition.'
Transport Disruption
High-speed rail services were affected after the fire broke out on Sunday, with key lines passing near the forest. SNCF reported delays of up to eight hours for trains arriving at or leaving from Gare de Lyon in Paris. By Monday morning, rail services were returning to normal. A highway running east from Paris was also temporarily blocked.
Half of the 700 residents of the village of Le Vaudoué were evacuated, and firefighters were operating in several other towns. Without the use of firefighting planes, other villages would already have been evacuated, said Olivier Compta, who was overseeing the operation. About 400 firefighters have been working to contain the fire, which erupted two days before the 14 July Bastille Day national holiday.
Climate Emergency Kills
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the scene of a deadly wildfire in the southeastern region of Almería that killed 13 people last week. He warned: 'The climate emergency kills.' Sánchez noted that 'a third of all the land that burned in Europe last year was here in Spain,' attributing the worsening fires to climate change. He called for a 'state pact' to tackle the changing climate, emphasizing prevention and public education.
El Pais reported Monday that six victims of the Almería fire had been identified: three Britons and one person each from France, Belgium, and Spain. Experts said these were the first six out of 12 bodies found in the fire zone. The wildfire was brought under control on Sunday.
The World Weather Attribution group of scientists said the June heatwaves that hit Europe would have been 'virtually impossible' without climate change. Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather, driving more frequent and deadly disasters such as heatwaves and wildfires.
