France has been fighting two wildfires that have burned over 1,300 hectares (about 3,200 acres) of forest south of Paris, threatening a historic UNESCO biosphere reserve as the country endures its third heatwave in three months.
The blaze erupted on Sunday in the sprawling Fontainebleau forest, a former royal hunting estate about 60 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of the capital. Firefighters aided by aircraft worked through Monday to contain the flames, which forced the evacuation of roughly 1,000 people and disrupted train lines and highways during a busy holiday weekend.
Four Canadair aircraft, two Dash planes, and three water-bombing helicopters were deployed to combat the fire. By Monday night, around 600 firefighters remained on the ground, according to rescue operations commander Jean-Marc Sicard.
France is experiencing its third heatwave in less than three months, with fires burning in several regions over the past week. Scientists attribute the increasing frequency of such extreme weather to human-driven climate change.
Official figures show that more than 2,000 excess deaths occurred during the June heatwave, and 300 during high temperatures in late May. Since the start of the year, wildfires have scorched about 25,000 hectares (61,800 acres) of land in the country, said Julien Marion, director general of civil security.
Temperatures are expected to remain high through France's Bastille Day national holiday on Tuesday, according to Meteo-France.