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France Sends Planes to ‘Exceptional Scale’ Wildfire Outside Paris

The blaze is spreading in the Fontainebleau forest just outside the country’s capital.

France is using water-bombing planes to battle a major wildfire that broke out just outside Paris. More than 400 firefighters have been deployed to tackle the blaze in the Fontainebleau forest, home to one of France’s largest and most historic royal palaces, which officials have described as “virulent” and of “exceptional scale.” Two water-bombing planes have been deployed to help extinguish the wildfire that spread across more than 1,980 acres. The Canadair planes are having to get water from the River Seine, which flows through central Paris, where residents have been swimming to try to cool off from the extreme heat. “The aim is to save lives and property,” said Eric Brocardi, of France’s national federation of firefighters. Strong winds are helping the fire spread, forcing the closure of a highway linking Paris and Lyon and disrupting train services to and from the capital. The Eiffel Tower and other famous sites were closed over the weekend for safety reasons because of the heatwave in Paris. It has been estimated that there have been more than 10,000 excess deaths in Europe due to last month’s heatwave.