Horses have been evacuated from an equestrian center located near Paris as a wildfire in the Fontainebleau forest continues to spread. Firefighters have been engaged in efforts to control the blaze for two days, with officials characterizing it as "virulent" and of "exceptional scale."
The fire has consumed approximately 800 hectares (nearly 2,000 acres) in the forest, situated about 60 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of Paris. Interior minister Laurent Nunez has indicated that the fire may have been intentionally set.
The region is currently experiencing its third heatwave of the year, a period during which temperature records have been broken in several European countries this summer.