ARBONNE-LA-FORET, France: France on Tuesday battled two fires that scorched over 1,900 hectares in a forest south of Paris on Monday, as police arrested two people suspected of arson.
Fires raging in the Fontainebleau forest since Sunday afternoon had burned through more than 1,900 hectares by Tuesday morning, according to the Seine-et-Marne fire department.
This figure, based on data from the middle of the night, is expected to change as the fire continues to spread, Commander Paul-Edouard Laurain, spokesperson for the departmental fire and rescue service (SDIS), told AFP.
The approximately 850 firefighters battling the blaze hope to contain it during the day, he added.
As the region sweltered through its latest heatwave, the wildfire — rare in the north of the country — quickly spread across the UNESCO biosphere reserve, disrupting rail and road traffic during a busy holiday travel long weekend.
