Overview
- The fire began on Sunday in the Fontainebleau forest southeast of Paris and quickly spread across roughly 1,300–1,900 hectares, officials said, leaving the blaze not yet fully under control.
- French authorities deployed multiple Canadair water‑bombers that scooped water from the River Seine along with helicopters and hundreds of firefighters to slow the flames for the first time at this scale around Paris.
- About 900–1,000 residents were evacuated and the A6 motorway and some high‑speed rail services were closed or delayed as smoke and fire threatened nearby villages and travel routes.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said investigators found multiple ignition points and police have detained at least two people on suspicion of arson while examining whether the fires were deliberately set.
- Officials warned the season has been unusually severe, with tens of thousands of hectares already burned this year, and they said the current third heatwave is creating hot, dry conditions that make fires harder to fight and increase risks to nearby communities.