(Arbonne-la-Forêt) The emblematic forest of Fontainebleau, south of the French capital, was damaged by a fire of “exceptional proportions” overnight on Sunday and Monday as the country experiences its third heat wave of the year.
Updated yesterday at 20:47.
A plume of smoke floating over the forest is visible 20 kilometers away, and fire trucks are heading towards the fire along small forest roads, AFP journalists noted. They receive reinforcements from farmers who place water tanks on the back of their tractors.
Despite calls from emergency services to stay indoors to avoid exposure to the smoke, locals are coming out to their doorsteps to watch in amazement the ballet of ambulances and police in this verdant paradise for residents of the Parisian metropolis, famous for its UNESCO World Heritage-listed royal castle.
Introduction of new tools
Two Dash bomber planes were sent from southern France to help bring the fire under control, and French Interior Minister Laurent Nunes will fly to Fontainebleau, about 50 kilometers from Paris, on Monday morning.
This is the first time such devices have been used in the capital region, Lt. Col. Eric Brocardi, a spokesman for the National Federation of Firefighters, told AFP.
There are also two bomber helicopters, a ground surveillance aircraft and about 400 firefighters.
The fire brought traffic to a standstill on a section of the A6 motorway, the main artery leading to south-eastern France and cutting through the forest.
The fire broke out late Sunday evening on this road and then spread to the forest.
PHOTO BY GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT, AGENCY FRANCE-PRESSE
Firefighters near a forest fire
Firefighters from the Seine-et-Marne department, where the forest is located, said it covered about 800 hectares shortly after midnight (6 p.m. ET).
The fire has not been contained, but firefighters expect temperatures to drop overnight, added Commander Paul-Edouard Laurent, spokesman for the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS).
About fifteen houses had to be evacuated, they said, and several others had to be protected by firefighters at the end of the evening. “Without the planes, the villages of Noisy-sur-Ecole and Vaudouai would have been evacuated, that’s certain,” explained Colonel Olivier Comptat, who was in charge of the operations.
Emergency services are expected to be activated within “one or two weeks.” They must receive reinforcements from all over France.
Climate change
The heat wave, which has been suffocating France and especially the Paris region for several days, significantly increases the risk of fires.
In the same department, another fire caused the temporary closure of the A5 motorway and the Paris-Lyon high-speed rail line.
On its website, SNCF (French Railways) reported train delays at Paris Gare de Lyon for up to six hours during major holiday departures this weekend.
Everywhere in France, emergency services had to deal with fires: in the Eastern Pyrenees (south), Drome (southeast), Lot (southwest), Savoie (southeast), as well as in more northern sectors such as Indre (centre) and Loire-Atlantique (west), proving that no region is immune from these summer fires, which are fueled by increasingly frequent heat waves.
According to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, “17,000 hectares” have already burned in French forests, and once the results are “consolidated”, “we will have 25,000 hectares burned”, or “twice the same period” in 2025.
Authorities urged caution and warned that those responsible for such disasters, whether intentionally or through negligence, would face criminal charges.
“Nine out of ten fire outbreaks are caused by human activity. A second inattention could endanger families, endanger those who protect us and destroy our landscapes,” French President Emmanuel Macron warned in a post on X on Saturday.