Planes Sent to Tackle Wildfire Near Paris

In the early hours of Monday, two firefighting planes were rushed to the Paris region to combat a massive wildfire south of the French capital.

The blaze, described by officials as virulent and of exceptional scale, has forced the closure of a key north‑south highway and disrupted traffic during the first major summer weekend getaway.

Early in the day, authorities reported that the fire had advanced across 800 hectares, continuing to spread in the forest roughly 40 kilometres southeast of Paris.

It is the first time that firefighting aircraft dispatched from southern France – a typically drier, hotter region – have been positioned in the Paris area, according to the national federation of firefighters. Alongside two helicopters and an observation aircraft, the pilots aim to safeguard lives and property.

The incident comes amid France’s third heatwave of the year, during a summer in which record temperatures have shattered in several European countries. The extreme heat has also forced the temporary shutdown of three nuclear power stations to prevent warm cooling water from entering overheated waterways.

Travel disruptions include up to six‑hour delays for high‑speed trains traversing from Paris’s Gare de Lyon, as the fire blocked an eastward highway and part of a high‑speed train line south of France. The Tour de France organisers shortened Sunday’s stage by 30 kilometres as temperatures approached 40°C.

Similar wildfire conditions have affected neighboring European nations; Spain saw a deadly blaze in Almeria that killed at least 13 people, while the UK struggled with a major incident declared in northal Wales following a large wildfire across England and Wales.