Firefighters Battle Massive Blaze in Fontainebleau Forest Near Paris
Around 850 firefighters, hundreds of vehicles and several aircraft are fighting a forest fire that has burned up to 1,500 hectares near Fontainebleau, prompting evacuations and arrests.
A large wildfire in the Fontainebleau forest, about 60 km southeast of Paris, continues to spread across roughly 1,500 hectares. The blaze, which started late Sunday, ignited a second fire on Monday near the town of Fontainebleau, burning an additional 300-400 hectares by Tuesday morning.
Authorities have deployed about 850 firefighters, 200 ground vehicles and a fleet of aerial assets, including four Canadair water-dropping planes, two Dash bombers and three helicopters, marking the first use of such resources in the Île-de-France region.
"It is a fire of a completely exceptional nature and scale, and resources that are just as exceptional," said Seine-et-Marne prefect Pierre Ory at a press briefing.
Local officials say the town itself is not in immediate danger, but roughly 1,000 people, including campsite residents, have been evacuated as a precaution. The A6 motorway near the town remains closed.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who earlier suggested the fire might be criminally caused, confirmed that two suspects have been detained, including an 18-year-old arrested on Tuesday with a lighter and soot on his hands.