'Unusual' fire in Fontainebleau forest near Paris: 800 hectares reduced to ash

In the severe fire that broke out in the historic Fontainebleau forest south of France's capital, Paris, 800 hectares of forested area have been reduced to ash so far. French authorities described the fire, which grew due to the effects of an extreme heatwave, as 'very serious' and 'unusual in scale'. To bring the fire under control, two firefighting planes, two helicopters, and one observation aircraft were dispatched to the region.

Due to the fire, a section of the A6 highway, the country's main north-south connection road, was partially closed to traffic. While residents of about 15 houses in the village of Vadoueil were urgently evacuated for their safety, firefighting teams battled day and night to protect other settlements. Local residents were forced to leave their homes amid ash raining from the sky and flames burning on both sides.

This fire emerged as a result of the third severe heatwave France has experienced since May. Due to the heatwave, three nuclear power plants in France were temporarily shut down, while a stage of the Tour de France cycling race was shortened by 30 kilometres due to temperatures approaching 40 degrees. France's Minister of the Interior announced that a total of 17 thousand hectares of the country's forest burned this year, a figure that has reached nearly twice that of the same period last year.