France Records 11,000 Wildfires, Area Burned Surpasses 2025 Total

France has already surpassed the total area burned last year, recording nearly 11,000 wildfires since the start of 2025, with approximately 35,000 hectares affected. Julien Marion, Director General of Civil Protection, stated during a visit by President Emmanuel Macron to the Fontainebleau Forest on Thursday that this has meant firefighters across the country have had to tackle between 250 and 300 fires simultaneously over the past three weeks. Marion noted that three ongoing forest fires have each consumed more than 1,000 hectares, despite the large-scale deployment of firefighting resources. He added that the risk of forest fires is no longer limited to the south of France, with around 50 departments now classified as high-risk forest areas, including Cotes-d’Armor in Brittany and Seine-et-Marne near Paris. According to Marion, the expansion of high-risk zones is forcing authorities to spread firefighting resources over a much wider area, increasing operational challenges. Data from the National Forest Office indicates that nearly 15,000 fires occurred in France during 2025, destroying around 30,000 hectares of forest and vegetation. Of these, approximately 1,800 were classified as forest fires, affecting nearly 20,000 hectares, including a major blaze in the Corbieres mountains in the southern department of Aude in August. Addressing the investigation into the Fontainebleau Forest fire, which authorities believe was deliberately set, Macron said several suspects have been arrested. ‘The message is clear: nothing will be left unaddressed,’ he stated, promising zero tolerance for those responsible for the fires. Macron also revealed that France is working with five other European countries on a joint order for Canadair firefighting aircraft, a cooperation that has successfully revived production of the planes, which had previously been halted. France currently operates 12 Canadair water bombers and eight Dash aircraft. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the fleet will increase to around 40 aircraft with the addition of leased planes and water-bombing helicopters.