Paris.- A 46-year-old man was arrested Tuesday night in the vicinity of the Fontainebleau forest, southeast of Paris, on suspicion of attempting to start a new fire, authorities reported this Wednesday, as firefighters struggle to contain the rekindling of the flames.
According to police sources, the suspect was arrested around 20:50 (18:50 GMT) in a parking lot closed to the public, after crossing the security tape that restricted access to the area. In his vehicle, officers found several crumpled newspapers and a lighter, for which he was taken into custody for alleged attempted arson.
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With this arrest, there are now seven people detained in the framework of the investigation into the multi-focal fire that began last Sunday afternoon and has devastated about 2,000 hectares of one of France’s considered natural sanctuaries.
Five remained in custody this Wednesday, including a volunteer firefighter who admitted to having set fire to some branches using a lighter and gasoline in the town of Arbonne-la-Forêt. Another young man admitted to having accidentally started a fire by throwing a lit cigarette butt in the Faisanderie sector, near Fontainebleau. Both had no prior criminal record.
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The authorities are also analyzing other possible causes of the main fire, including a potential link to work being carried out near the A6 motorway, which connects Paris to Lyon and remains closed to traffic, without ruling out any hypothesis, whether accidental or intentional.
Although the two major outbreaks were declared under control on Tuesday afternoon, the flames are not yet considered completely extinguished. The prefect of the Seine-et-Marne department, Pierre Ory, warned that extinguishing efforts could continue for several days and even weeks due to the risk of reactivation, as is the case today.
During Wednesday morning, three moderate hotspots were detected in the Grand Parquet sector, the area where the second fire was recorded on Monday, which consumed about 450 hectares. The first hotspot, which started on Sunday next to the A6 motorway, razed around 1,600 hectares.
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More than 800 firefighters remain deployed on the ground with the support of three Canadair planes, one Dash plane, two tanker helicopters, and one operations coordination helicopter, which have been favored by the improvement in weather conditions, with lower temperatures and less intense winds.
Specialists warn that the peat soil present in some areas of the forest favors the appearance of so-called ‘zombie fires,’ underground hotspots that can remain active for days or even weeks and reappear dozens of meters from the point of origin, which requires maintaining a large surveillance operation.
In parallel, France is facing a drought situation considered exceptional by the Government. Authorities are maintaining water usage restrictions and increased surveillance across practically the entire territory due to the high risk of forest fires.
