Fire bomber planes battle Fointaineblue forest blaze near Paris

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A large wildfire erupted in the Fontainebleau forest near Paris, burning over 800 hectares and causing evacuations, a highway closure, and railway disruptions amid a heatwave. French officials deployed firefighting planes to combat the rapidly spreading blaze.

Wildfire quickly burnt more than 800 hectares, with villages evacuated, highway partly closed and high-speed rail disrupted French officials rushed two firefighting planes to the Paris region on Sunday after a “very virulent” fire of “exceptional scale” erupted in the sprawling Fontainebleau forest about 60km (40 miles) south-east of the capital. The fire began late afternoon in the one-time royal hunting preserve that today is dotted with quiet villages. It raced across 800 hectares (2,000 acres) and was still spreading early on Monday, officials said, causing the partial closure of the A6 highway, the country’s main north-south artery, and disrupting traffic during a busy, heatwave-stricken summer travel weekend. Continue reading...