A fire described by the authorities as “exceptional” is ravaging the Fontainebleau forest, in Seine-et-Marne, since late on Sunday. More than 800 hectares have already been destroyed by the flames, prompting the deployment of unprecedented resources, including Canadair aircraft – a first for the Paris region.
On Monday 13 July, the Prefect of Seine-et-Marne announced the deployment of two Canadair aircraft, which are drawing water from the Seine between Chartrettes and Bois-le-Roi. An alert message was sent to mobile phones in the affected areas before the aircraft arrived. These aerial resources are in addition to the 500 firefighters already on the ground, as well as the two Dash aircraft and water-bombing helicopters deployed on Sunday from the south of France.
A complex operation in the forest
Lieutenant-Colonel David Annotel, of the National Federation of French Firefighters, highlighted on FranceInfo the difficulty of accessing the site: “Getting through the forest is no easy task. ” Despite this, the fire brigade managed to protect the homes, none of which have been affected so far. Nearly 900 people were evacuated as a precaution, according to the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nunez, who was on site this morning.
The fire, which broke out at several points simultaneously, is believed to have been started deliberately, according to initial findings. An investigation is under way to determine the exact causes. Weather conditions, characterised by a red heatwave alert and extremely dry vegetation contributed to the rapid spread of the flames, which grew from 400 to 800 hectares in just a few hours.
Transport disruptions
The fire also disrupted rail and road traffic. The Paris–Lyon high-speed line was temporarily suspended on Sunday due to cables damaged by the flames, before services gradually resumed on Monday morning. SNCF Réseau stated that repair work had been completed, allowing services to return to normal, despite some residual delays.
On the road network, a section of the A6 motorway was closed on Sunday, as was part of the A5. The roads have since been reopened, but drivers are advised to exercise caution in the area.
Fire-fighting operations are expected to continue for “one or two weeks”, according to the sub-prefect of Fontainebleau, Yannis Bouzar. Reinforcements of firefighters from across France are expected to arrive to support the local crews.