Fontainebleau Fires Fixed as Judicial Probe Expands

Overview

• Firefighters declared the two main blazes in the Fontainebleau massif fixed on Tuesday after flames burned just over 2,000 hectares but crews remain on site to douse smouldering hotspots.
• About 800 firefighters supported by multiple water‑bombing aircraft and ground units continue rounds of noyage to prevent subterranean peat smouldering that can reignite days later.
• Law‑enforcement teams have detained multiple people in connection with the fires, including an 18‑year‑old volunteer firefighter who was presented to a judge and placed in pretrial detention.
• Investigators opened an information judiciaire for destruction by fire, are collecting forensic evidence, and are probing both intentional acts and accidental causes such as nearby works on the A6.
• Local roads and parts of the massif remain closed, roughly 1,000 people were evacuated during the emergency, and authorities warn that weeks of watchful firefighting may be needed to guard against reprise and to allow a safe reopening.