Photos: Wildfires ravage historic forest near Paris
France has been battling two wildfires that have scorched more than 1,300 hectares (about 3,200 acres) of forest south of Paris. Aircraft in the skies
France has been battling two wildfires that have scorched more than 1,300 hectares (about 3,200 acres) of forest south of Paris. Aircraft in the skies and firefighters on the ground worked throughout Monday to bring the flames under control. The blaze broke out on Sunday in the sprawling Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting estate now dotted with quiet villages about 60km (40 miles) southeast of the capital. As the region sweltered in its latest heatwave, the wildfire spread rapidly across the UNESCO biosphere reserve, disrupting rail and road traffic during a busy long holiday weekend.
About 1,000 people in and around Fontainebleau were evacuated. The scale of the fire prompted the deployment of four Canadair aircraft along with two Dash planes and three water-bombing helicopters. By nightfall on Monday, about 600 firefighters remained mobilised and were taking turns to fight the flames on the ground, said the commander of the rescue operations, Jean-Marc Sicard. France is enduring a third heatwave in less than three months, with fires burning in several parts of the country over the past week.
It is the latest episode of extreme weather, which scientists say has become more frequent in recent decades due to human-driven climate change. The country recorded more than 2,000 excess deaths during the June heatwave and 300 during the high temperatures in late May, according to official figures. Since the start of the year, wildfires have scorched about 25,000 hectares (61,800 acres) of land in France, the director general of civil security, Julien Marion, said on Friday.
Temperatures are likely to remain high through France’s Bastille Day national holiday on Tuesday, according to the Meteo-France weather service.
The BriefWire