PARIS, July 14 - Fire crews worked through the night to fight a significant forest fire close to Paris that has swept across a historic woodland area near one of France's most famous royal palaces. Authorities said at least two people have been detained on suspicion of setting the blaze in the vicinity of the Palace of Fontainebleau.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said late on Monday that the situation remained unresolved, saying, "It is not under control." He gave a combined estimate for the main Fontainebleau fire and a separate, neighbouring blaze that began on Monday afternoon, reporting they had burned 1,300 hectares (3,212 acres).
Nunez noted the main fire was only a few kilometres from the Palace of Fontainebleau, a proximity that explained the mobilization of substantial resources to fight the flames, including water-carrying planes and helicopters. For the first time, Canadair aircraft on Monday skimmed the River Seine to refill their tanks as crews sought to contain a blaze that had blackened the sky.
The fire, located about 70 km (40 miles) from central Paris, forced the closure of the A6 highway that links the capital with Lyon and the south. Smaller fires in the same area also caused interruptions to high-speed train services. As many as 900 people were evacuated from their homes as a precaution.
Nunez placed the Fontainebleau incident in the context of an already severe season for wildfires in France, saying the current blaze is contributing to what will likely be a historic year. He reported that 32,000 hectares have burned so far this year, exceeding the total area lost in 2025, and warned, "We’ll probably have a record year." He added, "We expected this with this major drought."
Europe is experiencing its third heatwave of the summer, a pattern of high temperatures and tinder-dry vegetation that is feeding fires from the Iberian Peninsula to France. Many scientists say climate change is making wildfires more frequent and more difficult to fight.
On the law enforcement side, Nunez said 59 people have been arrested across France on suspicion of starting fires. He said about half of those detained were adults and half were minors, and that some were repeat offenders.
Context and response
Emergency services deployed aerial and ground assets to slow the spread of flames near a sensitive cultural asset. Transport links were affected, with a major motorway closed and high-speed services disrupted, while hundreds were moved away from threatened areas.