Overview
- President Emmanuel Macron visited the Fontainebleau operational command centre on Thursday, July 16 and vowed “zero tolerance” for deliberate fires while praising firefighter efforts.
- Authorities say roughly 35,000 hectares have burned nationwide, a figure that already exceeds the total area scorched in 2025.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported that 59 people have been arrested across France on suspicion of starting fires, and two 18-year-old men are in pre-trial detention over Fontainebleau blazes.
- The Fontainebleau forest has lost more than 2,000 hectares, forced about 1,000 residents to evacuate, closed the A6 motorway in places, and still requires roughly 950 firefighters plus 120 military personnel to secure hot spots.
- Officials cite prolonged heat, drought and gusty winds linked to climate change as the main drivers of rapid fire spread, and they warn the focus now is on preventing reignition, protecting communities and restoring damaged protected habitats.