French Minister Says Fontainebleau Wildfire May Have Been Deliberately Set

ARBONNE-LA-FORÊT-French authorities said on Monday they were investigating the possibility that a major wildfire in the Fontainebleau forest south of Paris was deliberately started, as hundreds of firefighters worked to contain a blaze that has scorched about 800 hectares and disrupted transport during one of the country’s busiest holiday travel periods.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said investigators had identified around 10 separate points where the fire appeared to have originated within a radius of about one kilometer, suggesting the blaze could have been the result of arson.

“There were about ten points of origin for the fire within a 1,000-meter radius, suggesting it could be a case of arson,” Nuñez told reporters during a visit to Noisy-sur-École in the Seine-et-Marne department. He added that authorities hoped to bring the fire under control later on Monday.

The fire erupted late Sunday afternoon in the Fontainebleau forest, a historic woodland approximately 60 kilometers southeast of Paris. Officials described the blaze as exceptionally intense, with flames spreading rapidly across the forest before aerial firefighting operations were suspended after nightfall.

Around 400 firefighters were deployed to battle the fire, supported by two firefighting aircraft dispatched from southern France, along with two helicopters and an observation aircraft.

Eric Brocardi, of France’s national federation of firefighters, said it was the first time water-bombing aircraft had been deployed from the country’s traditionally fire-prone southern regions to combat a wildfire in the Paris area.

Authorities evacuated about 15 homes in the nearby village of Vaudoué while firefighters worked to protect neighboring communities threatened by the advancing flames.

Residents described hurried evacuations as ash fell from the sky and flames approached residential areas. Valerie, who fled with her husband Daniel, said they loaded their pets into their vehicle after authorities ordered them to leave, adding that fire was visible on both sides of the road as they departed.

Olivier Compta, who is coordinating firefighting operations, said the deployment of aerial firefighting resources helped prevent the evacuation of additional villages.

The wildfire also disrupted transportation across the region. Highways near the affected area experienced traffic restrictions, while France’s national railway operator SNCF reported delays of up to six hours for trains arriving at and departing from Paris’s Gare de Lyon after rail services on the high-speed line toward southeastern France were affected.

The fire broke out just before France’s Bastille Day national holiday and during the first major weekend of the summer vacation season, when travel volumes are typically at their highest.

The Paris region is experiencing its third heatwave since May, with elevated temperatures increasing wildfire risk across much of France. Scientists have said that human-driven climate change has increased both the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events, creating conditions more favorable for large wildfires.

The prolonged heat has affected other sectors as well. French authorities have temporarily shut down three nuclear power stations because of the heat, while organizers of the Tour de France shortened Sunday’s stage by 30 kilometers as temperatures along the route approached 40 degrees Celsius.

Nuñez said forest fires had already burned 17,000 hectares in France this year and estimated that, once all current fires are included, the total area affected would reach about 25,000 hectares—roughly double the area recorded during the same period in 2025.