Fontainebleau Wildfires Scorch 1,900 Hectares as Arson Probe Widens

ARBONNE- Firefighters battled two major wildfires in the Fontainebleau forest south of Paris on Tuesday after the blazes burned more than 1,900 hectares of woodland, while police arrested two people suspected of involvement in the fires.

The fires, which began on Sunday, spread rapidly through the Fontainebleau forest, a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve, as northern France endured another intense heatwave. The Seine-et-Marne fire department said the burned area exceeded 1,900 hectares by Tuesday morning, adding that the figure was expected to rise as the fires continued to spread.

Paul-Edouard Laurain, spokesperson for the Seine-et-Marne departmental fire and rescue service, said around 850 firefighters were working to contain the fires during the day.

The first blaze expanded quickly, consuming nearly 1,200 hectares by Monday afternoon, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. A second fire later broke out and destroyed about 100 hectares, prompting the evacuation of around 1,000 residents in and around Fontainebleau.

Authorities said one of two people arrested in connection with the fires was an 18-year-old man with no prior criminal record. A source close to the investigation said he was detained with soot on his hands and carrying a lighter.

Officials are investigating whether the fires were deliberately set. Nunez said investigators identified around 10 separate ignition points within a one-kilometer area, a pattern he said suggested the possibility of intentional arson.

The scale of the emergency prompted an unprecedented aerial firefighting response in the greater Paris region. Authorities deployed four Canadair water-bombing aircraft, two Dash planes and three helicopters, with rescue officials reporting 187 aerial water drops during Monday’s operations.

Although firefighting efforts continued overnight with around 600 personnel rotating on the ground, rescue commander Jean-Marc Sicard said weather conditions remained unfavorable and the fire was still advancing despite brief periods of reduced activity.

The wildfires disrupted transport during one of France’s busiest holiday travel periods. Sections of the A6 motorway linking Paris with southeastern France were closed, while railway infrastructure damaged by the fire temporarily halted high-speed train services between Paris and Lyon before repairs allowed operations to resume.

Residents and local farmers joined emergency efforts by transporting water in tractors and making private water supplies available to firefighters. Some homeowners evacuated their properties but later returned to assist rescue crews.

President Emmanuel Macron said all available national resources had been mobilized to combat what he described as an exceptionally large wildfire.

France has experienced its third heatwave in less than three months, with multiple wildfires breaking out across the country in recent weeks. Scientists have linked the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat and wildfire conditions to human-induced climate change.

Official figures show more than 2,000 excess deaths were recorded during France’s June heatwave, with a further 300 linked to unusually high temperatures in late May.

Civil security authorities said wildfires have burned about 25,000 hectares across France since the beginning of the year, roughly double the area affected during the same period in 2025. Forecasts indicated high temperatures would persist through Bastille Day celebrations on Tuesday, maintaining elevated wildfire risks across the country.