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France's forest fires: 32,000 hectares burned since January 2026 as firefighters warn of inadequate resources
Sport Desk · · 30s summary · 2 min read
The essentials
Since the beginning of 2026, 32,000 hectares have burned in France, already exceeding the total recorded during the entire 2025 season, according to the Interior Minister. A fire is ravaging the Fontainebleau Forest in Seine-et-Marne, with nearly 1,000 hectares consumed by flames. During the weekend, farmers strengthened firefighting efforts by attaching water tanks to their tractors. On July 13, 2026, Sébastien Delavoux of the CGT des Sdis — the union representing France's departmental fire and rescue services — denounced insufficient resources on France Inter radio to combat the current fire risks.
- 32,000 hectares burned since January 2026, already exceeding the entire 2025 season total
- Fontainebleau Forest fire: nearly 1,000 hectares consumed by flames
- CGT des Sdis union denounces insufficient firefighting resources
- 1,000 water tankers lost, flagged to the Interior Minister in 2021
- 1,083 firefighting engines promised by Macron after 2022, not all delivered
What we know
Since the beginning of 2026, 32,000 hectares have burned in France. This figure already exceeds the total recorded during the entire 2025 season, according to the Interior Minister.
A fire is currently burning in the Fontainebleau Forest in Seine-et-Marne and has consumed nearly 1,000 hectares. Over the weekend, farmers reinforced firefighting efforts by securing water tanks to their tractors.
Fontainebleau Forest (ongoing fire)1000
Total France since January 202632000
Insufficient resources, say firefighters
On July 13, 2026, Sébastien Delavoux, a firefighter and spokesperson for the CGT des Sdis — France's departmental fire and rescue services, government agencies that manage firefighters at the departmental level — stated on France Inter that resources are insufficient in the face of current fire risks.
we are not up to the challenges
— Sébastien Delavoux, firefighter, CGT des Sdis, France Inter, July 13, 2026
In 2021, the CGT had already alerted the Interior Minister: 1,000 water tankers dedicated to forest fires had been lost.
After the 2022 fire season, Emmanuel Macron announced the purchase of 1,083 firefighting engines, with delivery scheduled by 2027. The CGT reports that these engines are not all water carriers and have not all arrived.
Timeline
- The CGT alerts the Interior Minister to the loss of 1,000 water tankers dedicated to forest fires.
The illustrations in this article are generated by artificial intelligence.
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