Wildfire Near Paris Triggers Aerial Firefighting Response

By Staff, Agencies

Firefighters are battling a major wildfire sweeping through Fontainebleau forest southeast of Paris, with the blaze breaking out Sunday in the former royal hunting grounds about 60km from the capital.

The blaze, which is unusual in its proximity to Paris, raced across about 800 hectares [2,000 acres] of forest and was still spreading early on Monday, officials said.

On Sunday, it caused the partial closure of the A6 highway, France’s main north-south artery, and disrupted key train lines. The Paris region remains under the highest heatwave alert.

The mayor of Fontainebleau, Julien Gondard, said he was shocked and angered. “This exceptional area is consumed by flames, we’ve never seen anything like this,” he told local TV ICI Paris Île-de-France. “The forest is fragile and it’s in a critical condition.”

Fire officials said it could take several days to several weeks to fully contain the fire. They described it as “very virulent” and of “exceptional scale”.

The interior minister, Laurent Nunez, visiting an operations room in Fontainebleau on Monday morning, said: “The aim is to contain the fire.”

Authorities said around 900 homes were evacuated, with no injuries or property destroyed reported. Officials said the fire started at multiple points, raising suspicions of possible arson as an investigation continues.

France has seen more than 32,000 hectares burned by forest fires this year, already surpassing the 2025 total. Authorities said 44 people have been arrested over suspected involvement in fire outbreaks since summer began.

The wildfire disrupted high-speed rail services near Paris, causing delays of up to eight hours before operations began returning to normal. Around 400 firefighters are battling the blaze, with evacuations carried out in nearby villages including Le Vaudoué.

France deployed firefighting planes from the south to tackle the Paris-area blaze for the first time, with helicopters and an observation aircraft also joining efforts to protect lives and property

Earlier, firefighters dealt with a fire that had blocked a highway running east from Paris and disrupted a high-speed train line to the south of France.

France and other parts of Europe have faced repeated heatwaves since May, with record temperatures linked to thousands of excess deaths. Scientists say climate change has intensified extreme weather events, including heatwaves and wildfires.