Wildfires That Rattled Paris Were Arson: France Faces 'Worst Wildfires'

Smoke swallows the forest, continuously billowing into the sky.

A massive column of smoke covers the sky like a pitch-black cloud.

In mid-July, a wildfire broke out in the Fontainebleau Forest in France.

As the flames spread to within 67 kilometers south of Paris, residents in the capital were forced into anxiety.

Fortunately, there were no casualties, but 900 residents were urgently evacuated, and 2,000 hectares of forest vanished over three days of fires.

After barely bringing the flames under control, an investigation into the cause revealed that the fire had started in two separate locations, both of which turned out to be acts of arson.

Two suspects arrested on arson charges are currently being investigated while in custody.

Since last July, the total area damaged by wildfires in France has reached 120,000 hectares.

This is equivalent to twice the entire area of Seoul, marking the worst scale of damage since related statistics began to be compiled in 2006.

The problem is that a significant portion of this damage, like the Fontainebleau fire, is suspected to be arson.

The French Ministry of the Interior announced that it has detained a total of 474 people in connection with wildfires since July 1.

Minors alone account for 183 of them.

French authorities estimate that about 70 percent of these individuals are likely suspects of deliberate arson, while the rest are presumed to be accidental fires.

Even a fire near Bordeaux Airport last July, which resulted in the deaths of two firefighters, was confirmed to be deliberate arson by a 15-year-old boy, and another wildfire in the southern region that forced 220,000 residents to evacuate was also arson.

[Emmanuel Macron / French President : We must realize that we are facing unprecedented wildfires. The situation we are currently experiencing is the most severe on record and the most difficult level since World War II.]

The total scale of damage in France from the wildfires is currently estimated at around 20 trillion won, and with severe droughts continuing, the wildfire damage is highly likely to increase further.

(Video Editing : Chae Chul-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.