ARBONNE-LA-FORET (France): France battled two wildfires south of Paris on Monday that scorched more than 1,300 hectares of forest, forced the evacuation of around 1,000 people and prompted the arrest of two suspects in an arson investigation.
The largest blaze erupted on Sunday in the Fontainebleau forest, a UNESCO biosphere reserve about 60 kilometres southeast of the French capital.
Fanned by hot, dry conditions during the country’s latest heatwave, the fire spread rapidly through the forest, disrupting road and rail transport during a busy holiday weekend.
By Monday afternoon, it had burned more than 1,200 hectares, while a second fire ignited nearby, destroying another 100 hectares.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said investigators were examining whether the fires were deliberately set after authorities identified about 10 ignition points within a onekilometre area.
An 18-year-old man carrying a lighter and with soot on his hands was among two people detained.
France mounted a major firefighting operation, deploying four Canadair water bombers, two Dash aircraft, three helicopters and about 600 firefighters.
Rescue officials said 187 water drops had been carried out, but warned the blaze was still spreading as weather conditions remained unfavourable.
President Emmanuel Macron said all available resources had been mobilised to contain what he described as an exceptionally large wildfire.
Residents also joined the response, with farmers using water tanks to help douse flames and homeowners providing firefighters access to private water supplies.
The fire forced the temporary closure of parts of the A6 motorway linking Paris with southeastern France, while rail services were briefly disrupted before damaged infrastructure was repaired.
France is experiencing its third heatwave in less than three months.
Officials said wildfires have already destroyed about 25,000 hectares nationwide this year — roughly double the area burned during the same period in 2025 — as experts continue to link increasingly frequent extreme weather events to climate change. – AFP
