Huge wildfire engulfs historic forest south of Paris, prompting evacuations and arrests

A massive wildfire has been tearing through the Fontainebleau forest south of Paris since Sunday, forcing the evacuation of about 1,000 residents and mobilizing hundreds of firefighters. By Tuesday, the blaze had consumed between 1,900 and 2,000 hectares of woodland, according to multiple reports.

"A floresta de Fontainebleau, nos arredores de Paris, está a ser atingida por uma série de incêndios desde domingo, com as chamas a consumirem uma vasta área florestal e a obrigarem à mobilização de centenas de bombeiros."

The firefighting effort has been intense: VEJA SÃO PAULO reported that 800 firefighters were deployed to contain the flames. The size of the burned area has been described as "proporções excecionais" (exceptional proportions) by Portuguese outlet sol.iol.pt, which initially reported 800 hectares consumed, though later estimates from sabado.pt and others put the figure at around 2,000 hectares.

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sabado.pt<![CDATA[ Bombeiros lutam para impedir reacendimento de fogo que lavrou em floresta nos arredores de Paris ]]>VEJA SÃO PAULOIncêndio em floresta histórica perto de Paris entra no terceiro dia e mobiliza 800 bombeiros

Authorities have made arrests in connection with the fire. Publico.pt reported that a volunteer firefighter from Fontainebleau confessed to having deliberately set the blaze using a lighter and gasoline. A second suspect claimed to have accidentally started a fire by discarding a cigarette.

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"Bombeiro voluntário de Fontainebleau confessou ter 'ateado fogo a ramos secos, com um isqueiro e gasolina'. Outro suspeito diz ter provocado um fogo ao acidentalmente descartar um cigarro."

While the main fire was under control by Tuesday, firefighters remained on the ground working to prevent rekindling, according to sabado.pt. Some roads are still closed and about 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, Correio da Manhã reported. The blaze serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of even renowned natural landmarks to human carelessness or malice, with the iconic forest, a frequent retreat for Parisians, now bearing scars that will take years to heal.