The investigation into the spectacular fire in the Fontainebleau forest is progressing: investigations point to an accidental fire starting on a construction site along the A6. Two workers were indicted.
The investigation into the gigantic and dramatic fire which has been ravaging the Fontainebleau forest for several days is experiencing a first legal turning point. Two employees of a company working on the A6 motorway have been indicted for involuntary destruction by fireinvestigations favoring trace of an accidental fire linked to maintenance work.
Located about sixty kilometers southeast of Paris, in Seine-et-Marne, the Fontainebleau forest covers nearly 25,000 hectares, including approximately 22,000 hectares of national forest managed by the National Forestry Office (ONF). Classified as a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1998, it is renowned for the richness of its biodiversity, its rocky sandstone chaos and its approximately 1,600 km of trails. Every year, this emblematic massif welcomes several million visitors. © VisitParisRegion
A spark during work along the A6
According to the first elements communicated by the Fontainebleau public prosecutor’s officethe main fire would have started on Sunday during a intervention to repair a crash barrier along the A6 motorwayin the town of Noisy-sur-École. At the time of the events, two workers intervened to replace guardrails using a thermal grinder. Projections of sparks would then have ignited the dry vegetation located nearby, causing the start of fire.
In a press release, the construction company Aximum – subsidiary of the Colas group –, specialized in road equipment, signaling, safety devices and the management of mobility infrastructures, discusses this intervention: “on July 12, an Aximum team carried out an emergency intervention on the A6 motorway to replace crash barriers damaged by a road accident“.
Both workers present on the site were indicted for involuntary destruction by fire resulting from a breach of an obligation of safety or prudence. They remain free, but are now placed under judicial supervision.
The company manager, for his part, benefits from the status of assisted witness at this stage of the procedure.
However, the investigation identified several fires. In parallel with the main disaster, two young men aged 18, including a volunteer firefighter, were indicted and placed in pre-trial detention. They are suspected of having deliberately lit two other separate homes, in Arbonne-la-Forêt and Fontainebleau. © Franck Desprez / Sdis 77
An extraordinary fire
The fires ravaging the massif since Sunday have already consumed nearly 10% of the Fontainebleau forestalmost 2,000 hectares. In addition to the ecological damage, fires also caused casualties and destroys essential habitats for flora and fauna.
The massif, very popular with hikers and climbers, is undergoing one of the most important fires in its history recent. Nearly a thousand residents had to be evacuated during the night from Sunday to Monday, while an impressive fire fighting device was deployed.
Around 950 firefighters still remained mobilized on Thursday. If the main outbreaks are now contained, emergency services must still face localized outbreaks, favored by the wind, high temperatures and the presence of peat and sand, which make it difficult to completely extinguish the disaster. © Franck Desprez / Sdis 77
Emmanuel Macron on site
The President of the Republic visited Thursday command post installed in the heart of the Trois-Pignons massif in order to salute the commitment of the emergency services. He stressed that France is going through an exceptional season, evoking the most destructive fires seen since the end of World War II.
By mid-July, nearly 35,000 hectares had already been destroyed by flames on national territory, a level higher than the total recorded for the entire previous season.
The Head of State recalled that no leniency would be granted to the perpetrators of arson, while the weather conditions make each outbreak of fire particularly dangerous.
An emergency collection launched to restore the forest
Mobilization after historic fires
The Heritage Foundation is launching a vast donation campaign to finance the first actions to restore and protect the massif. This mobilization brings together several public actors, including theNational Forestry Office (NFB), the castle and town of Fontainebleauthe department of Seine-et-Marne and the Île-de-France region.
The opening of this exceptional collection is intended for individuals, businesses and communities wishing to participate in the reconstruction of this natural heritage.
What will the donations be used for?
The sums collected will finance several operations of general interest aimed at sustainably restoring the forest. Among the planned actions are:
– THE diagnostics carried out after fires in order to accurately assess the damage;
– There renaturation of disaster areas with the planting of species better adapted to climate change;
– And the development of preventive measures to limit the risk of future fires.
An essential forest in the face of climate change
The Heritage Foundation recalls that the French forest covers almost a third of the metropolitan territory and plays a major role in carbon storage, preservation of biodiversity and soil protection. Facing the increase in fires in recent weeks, the organization had already launched a national collection in favor of French forests affected by the flames in several departments, notably Aude, Hérault, Pyrénées-Orientales, Gard, Var, Ariège, Drôme, Haute-Loire and Seine-et-Marne.
© Franck Desprez / Sdis 77
