French Volunteer Firefighter Admits Arson in Massive Fontainebleau Forest Fire Amid Ongoing 'Zombie Fires' Risk

French authorities continue battling a large wildfire in the Fontainebleau forest, southeast of Paris, for the third consecutive day. The fire has already consumed 20,500 dunams of the historic royal forest, which attracts around 15 million visitors annually. Despite authorities announcing partial control over the flames, the fire has not been fully extinguished. The blaze forced the closure of the A6 highway between Paris and Lyon and disrupted high-speed train services in the region.

Police arrested several suspects linked to the fire's ignition, including a 19-year-old volunteer firefighter who confessed to deliberately setting the fire using a lighter and gasoline. The motive remains unclear. Another suspect admitted to starting a separate fire by discarding a lit cigarette. Fire services expressed deep shock and labeled the volunteer firefighter's actions as a betrayal, suspending him pending further investigation.

Firefighters are now focusing on wetting the area to prevent "zombie fires," which are slow-burning underground peat fires that can reignite above ground even weeks later and spread beyond the original fire zone. The Fontainebleau forest, covering about 250,000 dunams and surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fontainebleau Palace, is ecologically diverse and historically significant as a former royal hunting ground and artistic inspiration.

This year has seen a record wildfire season in France, with 320,000 dunams burned so far, surpassing the total area affected in 2025. The fires coincide with a third heatwave hitting France and much of Europe, with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, Italy is preparing for an intense heatwave with temperatures expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius in Sardinia.

In Japan, a separate heatwave has prompted a relaxation of traditional office dress codes, with some workers wearing shorts to cope with the heat amid electricity conservation efforts linked to global energy supply disruptions. The Japanese Meteorological Agency has introduced the term "kokusho" to describe these increasingly frequent and severe extreme heat events, which scientists attribute to human-driven climate change.