France battles major wildfire near Paris as heat wave continues

France battled a major wildfire near Paris on Monday as a prolonged heatwave continued across much of the country, forcing evacuations near the Fontainebleau forest, broadcaster BFM TV reported.

The blaze near the Fontainebleau forest, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of Paris, forced the evacuation of about 1,000 residents and tourists from part of the commune of Le Vaudoue as flames advanced toward homes, according to the broadcaster.

Le Vaudoue Mayor Michel Calmy described "a wall of flames" moving rapidly toward the village before reaching the edge of residential areas, according to the broadcaster.

Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon told RTL that the Fontainebleau wildfire was "an exceptional situation," saying a blaze of such magnitude in northern France was unprecedented.

"Exceptional situation, exceptional resources," she said, adding that the government had deployed Canadair water bombers and Dash aircraft to support firefighting operations.

Two Canadair aircraft arrived in the area on Monday and began water-dropping operations after collecting water from the Seine River.

The wildfire came as 37 departments remained under France's highest red heat-wave alert, with extreme temperatures and dry conditions increasing the risk of fires across the country, according to the broadcaster.

Bregeon said about 2,000 cooling centers opened over the weekend under the government's recently introduced Extreme Heat ORSEC emergency plan to protect vulnerable people.

She added that France's hospital system remained under pressure but continued to cope with the surge in heat-related demand.

The government also defended the cancellation of some Bastille Day celebrations, saying the measures were intended to avoid overstretching emergency services and reduce the risk of fireworks triggering new fires.

Elsewhere, firefighters brought a wildfire at Cap Frehel in the northwestern Cotes-d'Armor department under control, although emergency crews remained at the scene to prevent flare-ups.

Deputy Defense Minister Alice Rufo told broadcaster TF1 that the government hoped to deploy the military's A400M transport aircraft for firefighting missions "in the coming weeks" after completing pilot training and other preparations.