Paris, July 13 (EFE).- French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday praised firefighters battling a suspected arson wildfire that has scorched about 800 hectares of the iconic Fontainebleau forest southeast of Paris, as authorities warned France faces an exceptionally severe wildfire season fueled by an intense heatwave.
«The Fontainebleau forest is affected by a fire of exceptional magnitude,» Macron said in a message on social media, expressing his solidarity with residents of the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region.
The French president also expressed his «deep gratitude» to the firefighters and emergency personnel «working tirelessly» to contain the blaze.
«All available resources are being mobilized» to extinguish the fire in the iconic forest, he added.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the blaze may have been deliberately set after around 10 separate fire outbreaks were detected within a one-kilometer radius, along with two ignition points on opposite sides of the A6 motorway.
«The investigation has been entrusted to the National Gendarmerie,» Nuñez told reporters during a visit to Noisy-sur-École in the Seine-et-Marne department.
Île-de-France regional president Valérie Pécresse also suggested the fire had a «criminal» origin, describing it on social media as the «worst fire ever known» in the region.
«I hope the arsonists are found and receive the exemplary punishment they deserve,» she wrote.
Nuñez described the wildfire as «completely exceptional and unprecedented,» noting that the 800 hectares burned represent nearly 5 percent of the Fontainebleau forest.
«We hope to bring the fire under control today, although it could take several days, or even weeks, to extinguish it completely,» he said.
Around 500 firefighters from the Seine-et-Marne fire and rescue service, reinforced by crews from other parts of France, including the south of the country, have been deployed to battle the blaze.
On Monday, two Canadair water bombers, two Dash 8 firefighting aircraft and three water-dropping helicopters joined the operation in what authorities described as an unprecedented aerial deployment for the Île-de-France region.
The fire prompted the precautionary evacuation of about 900 people, most of them living on the edge of the forest. No injuries or damage to residential areas have been reported, thanks to firefighters’ efforts to protect nearby communities.
The wildfire comes as France faces an especially severe heatwave. Thirty-seven departments, including Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region, remain under the highest-level red heat alert, while others remain under orange alert.
Météo-France forecasts temperatures of between 37C and 41C across much of the country in the third major heatwave since late May.
Nuñez said about 250 wildfires were recorded across France between Sunday and Monday, with around 30 classified as major incidents requiring simultaneous emergency responses.
So far this year, about 32,000 hectares have burned—more than during the entire 2025 wildfire season, he said.
The minister attributed the severity of the wildfire season to a combination of extreme heat, unusually abundant vegetation following heavy rains late last year and strong winds, warning that France faces a «very challenging» summer.
Urging the public to exercise caution, Nuñez said nine out of every 10 wildfires are caused by human activity.
He said authorities had made 44 arrests linked to wildfires, with about two-thirds involving suspected arson and the remainder related to accidental causes.
The minister also stressed the need for extra vigilance along roadsides, where many fires originate, as well as when using barbecues or fireworks.
He said each prefect would decide whether to authorize Bastille Day fireworks displays based on local fire risk but acknowledged that, under the current conditions, «it is preferable to refrain from them when there is danger.» EFE
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