France deployed Canadair water bombers to the Paris region for the first time as firefighters battled a major wildfire in the Fontainebleau forest.
The blaze, around 60 kilometres southeast of Paris, burnt nearly 2,000 hectares of woodland and led to the evacuation of around 1,000 people. The scale of the fire prompted an aerial firefighting response more commonly associated with southern France, including Canadair aircraft, Dash aircraft and water-bombing helicopters.
Canadair aircraft scoop water from the Seine
Four Canadair aircraft were deployed to fight the fire, with the amphibious aircraft collecting water directly from the Seine River before returning to the affected area.
The operation presented an unusual challenge for the crews. Rather than using the large lakes and coastal waters commonly associated with Canadair firefighting operations in southern France, the aircraft scooped water from the Seine near Fontainebleau.
The aircraft were joined by two Dash aircraft carrying fire retardant and three water-bombing helicopters. According to French authorities, the aerial fleet carried out 187 drops in a single day of operations.
The deployment was described as the first time Canadair aircraft had been used to fight a wildfire in the Paris region, underscoring the scale of the emergency in an area that does not typically see this level of aerial firefighting.
Firefighting aircraft operate near major transport routes
The wildfire also caused wider disruption around the Paris region, with the A6 motorway closed in the affected area and rail services disrupted as the fire spread.
The incident demonstrated the logistical challenges of deploying a large number of firefighting aircraft in proximity to a densely populated, heavily trafficked region. The aircraft were operating alongside ground crews and other emergency resources while authorities managed evacuations and access restrictions around the fire.
A Transavia aircraft was also photographed flying over the smoke-affected area during the wildfire. However, there is currently no indication that the commercial flight was directly affected by the fire, required a route change or operated under a specific restriction related to the blaze.
The Fontainebleau wildfire comes as France experiences a period of extreme heat and heightened wildfire risk. The blaze was among several major fires affecting the country during the summer, with authorities continuing to monitor the situation as crews worked to contain the flames
Have you been affected by the wildfires in France? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
