AI Generated Image
Wildfire of "exceptional scale" burning near Paris
CBS News • • world
Key Points:
- A large fire erupted Sunday in the Fontainebleau forest, about 40 miles southeast of Paris, prompting deployment of two firefighting planes and involving around 400 firefighters.
- The blaze, described as "very virulent" and of "exceptional scale," has spread across approximately 1,900 acres, causing partial highway closures and evacuation of about 15 homes in the nearby village of Vaudoue.
- Firefighting aircraft operations were suspended at nightfall, and firefighters are actively defending several towns as the fire continues to spread amid the region's third heatwave since May.
- The fire disrupted traffic on highways and the high-speed rail line during a busy summer travel weekend, coinciding with the July 14 national holiday.
- The ongoing heatwaves, which have broken temperature records across Europe and contributed to thousands of excess deaths, have been linked to climate change by scientific experts.
