Paris police arrest 23-year-old who attempted to set fire to Bois de Boulogne
A 23-year-old man was taken into custody Friday night after police caught him starting a fire in the Bois de Boulogne, on the western edge of Paris. He told officers he intended to burn down the entire forest.
Incident in the Bois de Boulogne
Police were alerted to a fire in the Bois de Boulogne, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, shortly before 23:00 on Friday, 17 July 2026. Officers arrived to find a pile of brush ablaze, with flames spreading to the trunk of a nearby tree. Using fire extinguishers, they managed to contain and then extinguish the fire before it could grow. In total, one square metre of vegetation was burned and a single tree trunk was blackened by the flames.
Arrest and confession
During their intervention, police spotted a young man at the scene and took him into custody. According to a police source cited by multiple French media outlets, the 23-year-old, born in 2002, admitted to officers that he had intended to set fire to the entire Bois de Boulogne. He was placed under formal detention for "dégradation volontaire par incendie" (voluntary damage by fire).
Investigation and custody extension
The investigation was initially assigned to the Service de traitement judiciaire de nuit (STJN) of the 8th arrondissement, and later transferred to the commissariat of the 16th arrondissement. The central laboratory of the Paris police prefecture also visited the site to carry out forensic examinations. On Saturday evening, the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed that the suspect's custody had been extended and that inquiries were continuing.
- Police alerted to a fire in the Bois de Boulogne, 16th arrondissement.
- Officers arrive and find a brush fire spreading to a tree trunk.
- Police extinguish the flames using fire extinguishers.
- A 23-year-old man is arrested at the scene and admits intent to burn the entire forest.
- Paris prosecutor confirms custody has been extended; investigation continues.
Recent forest fires in the Île-de-France region
The incident comes days after major wildfires in the Fontainebleau forest, in the Seine-et-Marne department, which burned approximately 2,200 hectares on Sunday and Monday. Two 18-year-old men, one of them a volunteer firefighter, were charged and imprisoned on Wednesday for deliberately starting fires at two locations, Arbonne-la-Forêt and Fontainebleau. On Thursday evening, two workers were also charged with involuntary destruction by fire for their role in a blaze that began near the A6 motorway and later spread into the forest. The Paris prosecutor's office has not indicated any link between the Fontainebleau fires and the Bois de Boulogne incident.
