France’s interior minister announced on Monday that two individuals had been arrested in connection with a fire in the Fontainebleau forest near Paris.
The arrests were part of a nationwide total of 59 detentions for alleged deliberate or accidental arson, Laurent Nunez said on France 2 television, as France contends with wildfires and endures its latest heatwave.
“There were roughly ten ignition points within a one‑kilometre radius, indicating the blaze may have been deliberately set,” Nunez said.
The fire ignited on Sunday in the extensive forest, roughly 60 km (40 mi) southeast of Paris, a former royal hunting ground now dotted with tranquil villages.
Amid the region’s latest heatwave, the wildfire—uncommon in northern France—rapidly expanded across the UNESCO biosphere reserve, disrupting rail and road travel during a busy holiday weekend.
By Monday afternoon the blaze had consumed nearly 1,000 hectares (over 2,470 acres), an expanse larger than Gibraltar, prompting the evacuation of some residents from the normally serene forest.
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