Two firefighting planes have been rushed to the Paris region to tackle a large wildfire south of the French capital.
The fire, described by officials as virulent and of “exceptional scale”, has partially closed the country’s main north‑south highway, disrupting traffic during the first major summer weekend getaway.
Early on Monday, officials said the blaze had spread across 800 hectares and was still advancing, about 40 miles (60 km) southeast of Paris.
France is in its third heatwave this year as temperatures break records across Europe. This is the first time fire‑fighting aircraft have been sent from the typically drier southern region to aid the Paris area, said Eric Brocardi of the national federation of firefighters.
Two firefighting helicopters and an observation aircraft were also deployed, he added, according to Agence‑France‑Presse.
'The aim is to save lives and property,' he said.
Earlier, a fire also blocked a highway east of Paris and disrupted a high‑speed train line south of the city. Train delays reached up to six hours for journeys arriving at or leaving from Paris’s Gare de Lyon, SNCF said.
The latest heatwave forced temporary shutdowns of three nuclear power stations to avoid discharging warm cooling water into overheated waterways.
Organisers of the Tour de France shortened Sunday’s stage by 30 km (19 mi) as temperatures neared 40 °C, reflecting the broader summer’s scorching trend across the continent.
Record‑breaking temperatures across Europe have led to major wildfires; Spain’s Almeria region suffered a death toll of 13 in Thursday’s blaze, one of the country’s deadliest ever.
In the UK, a large wildfire in North Wales was declared a major incident by emergency services, as firefighters tackled fires across England and Wales.
