Fire dangerously close to Paris: planes dispatched to extinguish Fontainebleau forest fire
A large forest fire is raging south of the French capital, which authorities have described as dangerous and of exceptional scale. Two fire-fighting planes have been urgently dispatched to extinguish the fire in the Fontainebleau forest, the BBC reports .
On the eve of Bastille Day — a national holiday and day off in France — the fire has seriously affected transport links. The country's main north-south motorway has been partially closed, and earlier the fire also blocked the motorway leading east of Paris.
High-speed rail traffic to the south of France has also been disrupted.
According to the French railway company SNCF, on Sunday evening, trains arriving at or departing from Gare de Lyon in Paris were delayed by up to six hours.
Fontainebleau forest is located approximately 60 kilometers southeast of Paris. On Monday morning, authorities reported that the fire had rapidly spread to 800 hectares, and the burned area continues to increase.
Currently, the Paris region is experiencing hot and dry weather — the region is already enduring its third heatwave.
The previous heatwave in France forced the temporary shutdown of three nuclear power plants, to avoid discharging warm cooling water into overheated bodies of water.
The organizers of the 'Tour de France' cycling race shortened Sunday's stage by 30 kilometers due to the forty-degree heat.
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