Wildfires near Paris force evacuations as France battles expanding blazes during heat wave
Hundreds of firefighters are working to contain two wildfires in the Fontainebleau forest south of Paris that have burned nearly 2,000 hectares (about 4,900 acres) and forced the evacuation of around 1,000 people.
The fires are among the most significant to threaten the Paris region in recent years, with authorities deploying water-dropping aircraft that collected water from the Seine River to battle the flames. The operation marked the first time such aircraft have been used to fight wildfires in the Paris area.
Thick smoke covered the forest as crews worked Tuesday to bring the fires under control. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
Authorities have arrested two people in connection with the Fontainebleau fires, while two additional arrests were made in relation to other wildfires across France. Officials did not provide further details about the suspects.
France’s latest heat wave, the third major heat event of the year, is beginning to ease, with red-level heat warnings expected to end Wednesday. However, thunderstorms are now threatening several regions.
Meanwhile, officials in southern Spain have identified 10 of the 13 people killed in a wildfire that tore through a remote community. Most of those who died were foreign nationals, including five British citizens, three Belgians, one French citizen and one Spanish citizen. Ten people remain missing.
The Los Gallardos fire burned through about 70 square kilometers (27 square miles) of forest and farmland, an area larger than Manhattan.
Spain continues to face extreme heat, dry conditions and strong winds that are fueling dangerous wildfire conditions. Climate experts say Europe is warming faster than any other continent, with temperatures rising at roughly twice the global average since the 1980s.
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