Portugal Colonial - Fire ravages historic forest outside Paris

The sprawling Fontainebleau forest some 60 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of the capital, is a former royal hunting ground that now hugely popular with hikers and a magnet for climbers who come from around the world to tackle its famous boulders.

The fires that erupted Sunday have now scorched more than 1,900 hectares (4,700 acres) -- an area roughly three times the size of Gibraltar, firefighters said on Tuesday.

With some 850 firefighters battling the flames with the help of specialised Canadair aircraft, authorities are hoping to control the flames during the day, said Paul-Edouard Laurain, spokesman for the regional firefighters.

"With the help of the Canadair aircraft, in particular, that should be a goal we hope is achievable," Laurain said.

"We expect temperatures to remain the same, even though the wind will be lighter than yesterday (Monday)," he said, noting weather conditions -- characterised by heat, wind, and dry air—have so far hampered firefighting efforts.

France is sweltering in the third major heatwave in less than two months, with Paris expected to see temperatures of 35C Tuesday and a slight respite only awaited later in the week.

- Risky environment -

There are two main fires being fought, including one in the la Faisanderie area, usually thronged with visitors in summer, not far from the town of Fontainebleau.

France on Tuesday celebrated its national day, which is usually accompanied by evening fireworks.

With the new heatwave, many towns throughout France have cancelled their annual firework displays, but many are usually set off illegally.

This year's celebrations coincide with a World Cup semi-final in which France takes on Spain in the evening local time and which, win or lose, will likely see fans spilling onto the streets to either celebrate or mourn once the final whistle blows.

The fires have forced some 1,000 people in and around Fontainebleau to flee their homes.

- Two held -

Authorities are probing whether the fires were started deliberately and two people have been arrested on suspicion of arson. One of the suspects is an 18-year-old man with no prior police record.

The forest sees 15 million visitors each year, making it vulnerable to fires -- quite apart from its sandy soil and vegetation consisting of ferns and highly flammable conifers.

The scale of the fire led to the deployment of four Canadair water-bombing aircraft for the first time in the greater Paris region -- as well as two Dash planes and three helicopters.

A total of 187 water drops were carried out on Monday, said the commander of the rescue operations, Jean-Marc Sicard.

According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, 32,000 hectares across France have been hit by fires since the beginning of the year -- more than during the entire 2025 fire season.

As well as the warmer south, fires have also hit cooler regions such as Brittany in the west where a fire that swept across 38 hectares of heathland on Cap Frehel has now been brought under control.

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F.Moura--PC