Wildfire of “exceptional scale” burning near Paris

Two firefighting planes were deployed to the Paris region Sunday after a large fire erupted south of the French capital, disrupting traffic during a busy summer travel weekend and piling more misery on a region sweltering through its latest heatwave.

The fire, which officials described as “very virulent” and of “exceptional scale,” began late afternoon in the sprawling Fontainebleau forest about 40 miles south-east of the capital.

Officials said early Monday the blaze had raced across some 1,900 acres and was still spreading, causing the partial closure of a main highway.

Firefighting aircraft were forced to suspend their operations at nightfall.

Around 15 homes were evacuated in the nearby village of Vaudoue and firefighters were defending several other towns in the area, the local Seine-et-Marne fire service said.

About 400 firefighters worked to contain the flames, which erupted just ahead of a July 14 national holiday and on the first major weekend for departures for the summer holiday season.

Traffic was disrupted along highways in the area, as well as along the high-speed rail line leading to the southeast of the country.

The Paris region is currently experiencing its third heat wave since May, increasing the risk of fires.

The three heatwaves have seen temperature records broken in several countries across Europe and have caused thousands of excess deaths, according to estimates in France, Belgium, Britain and Spain.

The June heatwaves would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, the World Weather Attribution group of scientists said.

Several other European countries have faced record-breaking average temperatures.