Forest fires choke A6 and A5 motorways near Paris, TGV services delayed up to six hours; water-bomber planes deployed for the first time in Île-de-France
Two fast-moving wildfires in Seine-et-Marne forced the closure of the A5 and A6 motorways on Sunday and cut the high-speed rail line to the southeast, stranding drivers and causing SNCF to warn of delays reaching six hours.
What happened
Two large vegetation fires broke out south of Paris on Sunday 12 July, one near the A5 motorway and a second along the A6 in the Fontainebleau forest. The first fire started around 13:45 in a stubble field in the commune of Les Écrennes, close to the A5. Pushed westward by the wind, the flames crossed the motorway and the adjacent LGV Sud-Est high-speed rail line, reaching the commune of Le Châtelet-en-Brie. Firefighters set up a command post there and managed to stop the fire's spread by about 17:00. The second fire ignited at roughly 16:40 on the roadside of the A6 near Noisy-sur-École and spread rapidly into the forest. By 20:00 it had covered 16 hectares and was still not under control.
Scale of the damage
The combined footprint of the fires is substantial. The A5 blaze alone consumed approximately 300 hectares of stubble in just over three hours, according to the Seine-et-Marne fire service. The A6 fire, described by firefighters as "very virulent," was smaller at 16 hectares but continued to grow after dark. Dense smoke reduced visibility on the A6 to zero, witnesses reported.
We all came to a stop, first caught by the smoke. We had zero visibility, then flames became visible on the side.
Traffic chaos
Both motorways were severed for hours. The A5 was closed in both directions at the height of Châtelet-en-Brie. The A6 was shut between Noisy-sur-École and Cély, a stretch of roughly ten kilometres. Two secondary roads, the D213 and D605, were also cut. Rail traffic on the LGV Sud-Est, which serves Lyon and Marseille, was severely disrupted. The transport minister Philippe Tabarot stated that diversions onto other tracks were causing major delays across multiple TGV services. SNCF warned passengers to expect delays of up to six hours for INOUI, LYRIA and OUIGO trains, with some cancellations also expected. The operator said a return to normal service would not come before late evening.
Diversions to other tracks are causing significant delays on several TGVs. At this moment the A5 motorway is also cut in both directions at Châtelet-en-Brie.
First-ever water-bomber deployment to Île-de-France
Responding to the A6 fire, authorities took the rare step of sending fixed-wing water-bomber aircraft to the Paris region. Two Dash planes were scrambled from Bordeaux and Nîmes, together with two heavy water-bombing helicopters. Around one hundred firefighters were already on the ground on both sides of the motorway. Lieutenant-colonel Éric Brocardi, spokesman for the Fédération nationale des sapeurs-pompiers de France, said the deployment of firefighting bombers in Île-de-France was a first.
This deployment of firefighting bombers in Île-de-France is a first.
- Stubble fire starts near Les Écrennes close to the A5 motorway
- Fire crosses the A5 and the LGV Sud-Est rail line, spreading toward Le Châtelet-en-Brie
- Second fire ignites on the A6 roadside near Noisy-sur-École and spreads into Fontainebleau forest
- A5 fire is brought under control; command post set up at Châtelet-en-Brie
- A6 remains cut over roughly 10 km; TGV delays of up to six hours announced by SNCF
- A6 fire has covered 16 hectares and remains uncontained; two Dash water-bombers and two helicopters are en route
What comes next
The A5 fire was fixed by late afternoon, but the A6 fire remained uncontained as of Sunday evening. With the water-bombers arriving after dusk and road and rail closures still in place, the disruption looked set to continue through the night. SNCF expected a full resumption of rail services only late in the evening, and no timeline was given for reopening the A6.
