Hundreds of Firefighters Battle Major Wildfire Near Paris

More than 400 firefighters battled a major wildfire overnight in the historic Fontainebleau Forest south of Paris. On Monday, French authorities also deployed two Canadair water bombers as a heat wave continued to grip the country.

The fire broke out near a highway close to Fontainebleau, home to one of France's most famous royal palaces. By midnight, it had consumed more than 800 hectares of forest, with strong winds and high temperatures fueling its spread.

The blaze, about 70 km south of Paris, forced the closure of the A6 motorway linking the capital with Lyon and southern France. Smaller fires in the region also disrupted high-speed rail services. Residents were advised that firefighting aircraft would be drawing water from the Seine River.

Wildfires have also affected Spain, Portugal and Greece in recent weeks. In Spain's Almería province, the death toll rose to 13 after a 93-year-old British woman died from injuries sustained in the fires.

Western Europe is now experiencing its third prolonged heat wave of the summer. According to the EuroMOMO mortality monitoring network, the heat wave at the end of June may have contributed to more than 10,000 excess deaths. Experts say extreme temperatures are the most likely cause of the increase.

(Reuters, bak)