French farmer Franck Chardon looked on as firefighters used a hose to transfer water from the tank of his tractor into a fire truck, while wildfires burned near Paris on Monday (July 13).

Chardon, who farms 20 kilometres away in the town of Guercheville, came to support firefighters battling a blaze that tore through a historic forest near Paris on Monday, forcing highway closures and mobilising water-bombing aircraft.

"We were not mobilised, but when it's like this, farmers are really in solidarity. As soon as there's a climate event, we're present, because we are faced with climate hazards all year," he said.

France deployed hundreds of firefighters to tackle the fast-moving blaze that broke out alongside a motorway near Fontainebleau, home to one of France's best-known royal palaces.

For the first time, Canadair water-dumping aircraft skimmed over the River Seine filling their tanks. Up to 800 people were evacuated from their homes.

"It's weird, we had never seen this. This is a climate event we will never forget," Chardon said.

Onlookers gathered as firefighting planes and helicopters above doused trees with water in an effort to extinguish the flames. Many said they felt "hurt" seeing the disaster.

"It just hurts, I have no words for it. I grew up nearby, so I used to go to the forest a lot," history teacher Max-Evan Yao said. "It really hurts my heart to see this."

French authorities say an estimated 32,000 hectares of land - roughly the size of Orlando, Florida - have burned so far this year, more than in the whole of 2025.

Some 26 million people in France were under a red heatwave warning on Monday, including the greater Paris region. Forecasters say the heatwave is expected to continue until the middle of the week.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

1. FIREFIGHTING PLANE DROPPING WATER OVER TREES

2. FIRE TRUCK DRIVING BY

3. FIREFIGHTING PLANE DROPPING WATER

4. FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTER DROPPING WATER

5. FIRE TRUCK DRIVING BY / TRACTOR PARKED NEAR FIREFIGHTER VEHICLE

6. FARMER, FRANCK CHARDON, SPEAKING WITH FIREFIGHTERS

7. FIREFIGHTING PLANE FLYING OVER HOMES

8. CHARDON STANDING NEAR FIREFIGHTER

9. HOSE CONNECTING TRACTOR TO FIRE TRUCK

10. FIREFIGHTING PLANE FLYING BY / CHARDON TAKING PICTURES

11. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FARMER FROM GUERCHEVILLE, FRANCK CHARDON, SAYING:

"With this new fire on the edge of the city of Fontainebleau, we were called upon. I mean, we were not mobilised, but when it's like this, farmers are really in solidarity. As soon as there's a climate event, we're present, because we are faced with climate hazards all year."

12. CHARDON SPEAKING WITH FIREFIGHTER

13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FARMER FROM GUERCHEVILLE, FRANCK CHARDON, SAYING:

"This is home for us, this is our forest, and this is a forest of millions of walkers. And right now, we're sensitive to it - it's weird, we had never seen this. This is a climate event we will never forget."

14. FIREFIGHTER VEHICLES / FIREFIGHTING PLANE FLYING BY

15. VARIOUS OF ONLOOKERS

16. HISTORY TEACHER, MAX-EVAN YAO, SEATED ON ROCK

17. (SOUNDBITE) (French) HISTORY TEACHER, MAX-EVAN YAO, SAYING:

"It hurts, it hurts. It just hurts, I have no words for it. I grew up nearby, so I used to go to the forest a lot. It really hurts my heart to see this. The only thing we want to do is to act, we don't know how yet, but we have to act quickly."

18. PEOPLE LOOKING ON

19. (SOUNDBITE) (French) RAIL WORKER, ARNAUD BAGARRY, SAYING:

"I've come a lot on the massif for trail hiking. It's sad, because first, this is a big lung for our planet and for our country. So it hurts my heart, because there are a lot of things that should be done with regard to environmental protection."

20. PEOPLE LOOKING ON

MILLY-LA-FORET, FRANCE (JULY 13, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

21. FIREFIGHTING PLANES FLYING AMID SMOKE

22. SMOKE IN SKY

23. FIREFIGHTING PLANES FLYING AMID SMOKE

24. VARIOUS OF SMOKE RISING OVER HOUSES AND TREES