Fire in Fontainebleau forest near Paris triggers evacuations, disrupts
trains and highway
[July 13, 2026] AVON,
France (AP) — A fire raging in the historic and much-visited
Fontainebleau forest south of Paris on Monday prompted evacuations of
some residential neighborhoods and disrupted train and highway traffic.
It was among several wildfires in western Europe as the region bakes
under its third red-alert heat wave this year.
|
Smoke billows rise into the sky during wildfires at the historic
Fontainebleau forest, about 60 km (37 miles) south of Paris, France,
Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva) |
|
In Spain, 10 people were still unaccounted for Monday from a
fire that ripped through a remote southern expat community last
week, killing 13 people in one of the country's deadliest
blazes.
The Fontainebleau forest fire is unusual for its proximity to
the French capital — about 70 kilometers (42 miles). The region
hosts the Fontainebleau Chateau favored by Napoleon and is
popular with visitors from Paris and beyond.
Two water-dumping planes were deployed over the area along with
hundreds of firefighters, regional fire service spokesperson
Paul Laurain told public broadcaster France-Info.
Trains to and from the bustling Gare de Lyon train station were
disrupted late Sunday but were returning to normal Monday
morning. A section of the busy A6 highway leading southeast of
Paris was shut down because of fire risk.
Large fires in southern France have already scorched thousands
of hectares (acres) since last week, disrupting the Tour de
France cycling race and stretching firefighting resources.
France is experiencing the peak of its third heat wave of the
summer, with temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius (104
degrees Fahrenheit ) across western and central areas and around
37 C (98 F) in Paris.
Spain reeling from deadly wildfire
A 93 year-old British national died Sunday in a hospital from
injuries sustained in the Los Gallardos wildfire, elevating the
death toll to 13.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to visit the
site of the fire on Monday. Regional authorities said the blaze
was contained Sunday after affecting some 70 square kilometers
(27 square miles) of forest and farmland — larger than the size
of Manhattan.
Spain is experiencing extreme heat, which combined with wind and
little rainfall is creating the ideal conditions for small
wildfires to grow unchecked.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with
temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average
since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus
Climate Change Service.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
|
