More than 800 firefighters deployed were able to contain two fires burning through over 2,000 hectares of the Fontainebleau forest in a 48-hour firefight with wildfires, the local prefect said Tuesday evening. Four people are still in police custody, including a volunteer firefighter, in connection with the fires.

Prefect Pierre Ory said “contained” means they are contained within their boundary, but it will take days or even weeks for the firefighters to stay at the scene. 

On Tuesday, French firefighters with the help of water bombers tried to put out wildfires that engulfed a highly popular forest outside Paris as another blistering heat wave continued to grip the French capital.

The Fontainebleau forest, some 60 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of the capital, is a former royal hunting ground and immensely popular with hikers and a destination for climbers from all over the world who come to scale its famous boulders.

Some 2,050 hectares (5,000 acres) were burned in the fires which broke out Sunday, firefighters said on Tuesday, which is about three times the size of Gibraltar.

It may take decades for Fontainebleau forest to recover from wildfire, expert says 

The fire crews will continue to fight on the ground, and also will have three Canadair planes, one Dash aircraft and two water-dropping helicopters on Wednesday, the prefect added.

It’s the third heatwave this nation has experienced in under half a month, and Paris is in for more heat Tuesday, with relief only expected later in the week.

Risky environment

The two main fires include one in the La Faisanderie area, usually thronged with visitors in summer, not far from the town of Fontainebleau.

France on Tuesday celebrated its national holiday, which is usually accompanied by evening fireworks.

Many towns throughout France did not hold firework displays during the new heat wave, but a lot of fireworks displays are set off without permission.

The celebrations this year also matched a World Cup semi-final between France and Spain and will most likely see people coming out on the streets no matter what may happen in the match.

The fires have forced some 1,000 people in and around Fontainebleau to flee their homes.

Six arrested

Initially, six people were arrested in connection with the fire. The six arrested included a local volunteer firefighter who admitted to Fontainebleau prosecutor Diane Ngomsik to setting fire to twigs with a lighter and petrol, and a second suspect who said he accidentally started a fire by dropping a cigarette at another scene.

Two people are still in custody, local officials said Tuesday evening.

The forest has also attracted 15 million visitors annually and is prone to fire – aside from its sandy soil and flora of ferns and flammable conifer trees.

A total of 187 water drops were carried out on Monday, said the commander of the rescue operations, Jean-Marc Sicard.

Fire has affected over 32,000 hectares of land so far this year in France, compared to over 26,000 in 2025.

Aside from the warmer southern areas, fires have also broken out in cooler locales like Brittany in the west, where a fire that engulfed 38 hectares of heathland in Cap Frehel has been extinguished.