Huge forest fires are a growing reality in France, driven by successive heatwaves and severe droughts across Western Europe.

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Huge forest fires are a growing reality in France, driven by successive heatwaves and severe droughts across Western Europe. 

France is currently tackling several blazes of unprecedented scale. Recent notable events include: 

• Fontainebleau Forest (Paris region): An unprecedented, virulent fire tore through more than 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of the historic forest just 60km (40 miles) southeast of Paris. This is the first time firefighting planes have ever had to be dispatched from the south to fight a fire in the Paris area. 
• The Pyrenees: Major blazes have swept through the foothills of the French Pyrenees near the Spanish border, scorching thousands of hectares and forcing over 10,000 people to evacuate towns and villages. 
• Southern France: High temperatures, dry soils, and strong, gusting winds have triggered emergency situations and mass evacuations in regions along the Mediterranean and near Marseille. 

The wildfire season is beginning weeks earlier than usual, and European solidarity efforts have seen firefighters and water-bombers dispatched from allied nations to help contain the destruction