Wildfire near Paris forces highway closures as heatwave grips Europe

A wildfire erupted in the historic Fontainebleau forest about 70 kilometres from Paris on Monday, prompting the closure of the A6 highway that links the capital with Lyon and the south. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed and Canadair water-dropping aircraft were used for the first time over the Greater Paris area, filling their tanks from the River Seine. Up to 800 residents were evacuated and high-speed train services were disrupted.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the fire’s origin appeared suspicious, noting that roughly ten ignition points were identified within a one-kilometre radius, and announced the arrest of two suspects linked to the blaze.

The incident comes as western Europe endures its third summer heatwave, with 26 million people in France under a red heat-wave warning. Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of such fires. In Spain, a separate wildfire in Almeria has claimed 13 lives, including a 93-year-old British woman, and left ten people missing.

Health officials reported about 10,650 excess deaths across Europe during the late-June heatwave, with a study estimating 2,700 heat-related fatalities in England and Wales alone. Researchers attributed 42 % of these excess deaths to the additional heat driven by global warming. The World Health Organization warned that further deadly heatwaves could affect Europe in the coming weeks.

The extreme weather has also impacted agriculture, energy production and transport, with crop damage, reduced output from nuclear plants and lower Rhine river levels hindering freight shipments.