Forest fire near Fontainebleau contained: Suspects in police custody, including volunteer firefighter

The flames spread on Sunday in the Forêt de Fontainebleau, a popular local recreation area for Parisians, destroying more than 2,000 hectares of forest. „Insgesamt waren 1.000 Menschen in Sicherheit gebracht worden“, the responsible public prosecutor's office said. About 800 firefighters were still deployed on the day of the report, according to authorities.

Arrests and confessions

According to the Fontainebleau public prosecutor's office, six suspects were taken into police custody. „Von ursprünglich sechs im Zusammenhang mit dem Brand Festgenommenen sind vier weiterhin in Polizeigewahrsam“, it said. Among them was „ein Mitglied der freiwilligen Feuerwehr, das sich zu Brandstiftung bekannt hat".

Public prosecutor Diane Ngomsik stated on Tuesday (July 15, 2026) that the approximately 19-year-old man had confessed to using a lighter and gasoline to set fire to brushwood. „Der etwa 19 Jahre alte Mann habe gestanden, mit einem Feuerzeug und Benzin Reisig angezündet zu haben, hieß es von der Staatsanwaltschaft." The president of the administrative board of the Seine-et-Marne Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS) suspended the suspect immediately once the allegations became known.

A second man of the same age confessed to accidentally starting a fire at another location by discarding a cigarette butt. Another detained person stated that they had thrown away a cigarette and described the incident as an accident.

Emergency services and water bombers

The massive blazes consisted of several fires that had broken out simultaneously. According to emergency services, there were two major fire fronts that kept flaring up again because the wind continued to create unfavorable conditions. „Etwa 800 Feuerwehrleute waren heute weiter im Einsatz, wie die Behörden mitteilten."

Canadair-type water bombers were deployed to fight the fire, scooping water from the Seine at low altitude. „Den Brandbekämpfern standen noch drei Löschflugzeuge vom Typ Canadair zur Verfügung, eines weniger als am Vortag", authorities reported. The day before there had still been four aircraft.

The Forêt de Fontainebleau, considered the „green lung of Paris," covers around 25,000 hectares. The current fire destroyed roughly one twelfth of the entire forest area. The woodland is a popular destination for excursions by the Parisian population seeking recreation here.

Heatwave and its consequences

France is currently experiencing its third heatwave of the year. „Viele Menschen ignorieren die Verbote für Camping und Grillen im Wald", according to official statements. On Monday, the highest heat warning level (red) was in effect in 37 of 101 départements, affecting about 26 million people. Meanwhile, the highest drought warning level has been declared in 42 of 101 départements.

Due to the persistent heat, three nuclear reactors were also temporarily shut down and seven more throttled back, so that their heated cooling water does not additionally warm the rivers. This measure illustrates the strain the heatwave is placing on the country's critical infrastructure.

Climate change as background

Scientists assume that heatwaves, which favor forest fires, are increasing in intensity and frequency as a result of human-made climate change. The soils and vegetation are severely dried out after three heatwaves since the beginning of the year, which favored the spread of the fire.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 32,000 hectares of land have been destroyed by forest and bush fires in France according to official figures — more than double the amount destroyed in the entire previous year. „This area is more than double the amount destroyed in the entire previous year", authorities noted.

Toll and consequences for the region

Authorities announced that the investigations against the four suspects still in custody will be continued. Evidence gathering at the fire site is ongoing to determine the exact cause and possible accomplices. It is also to be examined whether the act constituted a targeted attack on the recreation area.

In the region, preparations were simultaneously being made to secure the affected forest areas once the extinguishing work has ended and to protect damaged areas from erosion. Forest services expect that the damaged areas will require intensive care and replanting in the coming years in order to restore the forest's function as a local recreation area and ecosystem.

At the same time, the government has announced tighter controls to more consistently penalize violations of the existing forest and grilling bans. Residents in the greater Paris area were called upon to strictly observe the designated bans in the coming weeks in order to reduce the risk of further fires.