Two arrested over suspected arson as Fontainebleau fire burns 5,000 acres
A suspected arson attack has devastated over 5,000 acres of the Fontainebleau forest, threatening a major European tourist destination that draws more visitors annually than the Louvre.
French authorities have arrested two suspects on suspicion of starting a massive wildfire that has consumed more than 5,000 acres of the Fontainebleau forest. Police discovered 10 separate ignition points about 60 kilometers southeast of Paris, prompting the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people. The blaze, which began on Sunday, has been contained but not yet extinguished.
One of the suspects is a volunteer firefighter who allegedly admitted to using a lighter and gasoline to ignite twigs. The second suspect is accused of starting a secondary fire by discarding a cigarette. The public prosecutor’s office has not yet determined a motive for the fires, which erupted in the Noisy-sur-Ecole area.
The fire strikes at the heart of a critical economic and recreational asset for the Île-de-France region. According to Fontainebleau’s official tourism website, the forest receives more than 11 million annual visitors, surpassing the Louvre Museum. Often considered the birthplace of modern bouldering, the area contains an estimated 40,000 boulder problems that attract a global outdoor tourism market.
More than half of the forest’s 16 major bouldering areas are currently closed, including the entire Trois Pignons, Franchard, Larchant, and Apremont sectors. Trois Pignons, Corne Biche, and Mont Aigu remain active fire zones. It is unclear whether the sandstone boulders have sustained direct heat damage, but local groups are already raising funds for potential restoration.
The blaze coincided with an intense heat wave pushing temperatures to 40 degrees Celsius across Western Europe. Drought conditions and gusty winds created extreme fire risks, drying out the forest floor rapidly. "Everything [was] bone dry," Alberta-based climber Tracy Wood told Climbing. "Even if it rained a bit, everything was absorbed or evaporated so quickly [that] it was dry within an hour."
Wildfires can leave climbing areas permanently damaged, as seen with the destruction of California's Elephant Knob in 2002. Liverpool-based climber Rebecca Crowe noted the broader stakes beyond the sporting community. "There are hectares of the forest going up in flames, so while Font is a Mecca for boulderers, this is a much wider issue for anyone who loves nature," she said. More than 850 firefighters remain deployed to protect the area.
