France wildfires: Macron pledges ‘zero tolerance’ for arson

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said there would be “zero tolerance” for arson after France was hit by wildfires that have scorched thousands of hectares.

Dozens of people have been arrested across the country over starting fires deliberately or by accident as France has sweltered through multiple intense heatwaves since May that have fuelled dry conditions.

Around 35,000 hectares (nearly 86,500 acres) have been impacted by fires -- more than during the entire 2025 fire season, according to authorities.

France “has never faced so many outbreaks of fire across the country since the end of World War II”, Macron said during a visit to the historic Fontainebleau forest near Paris that has seen more than 2,000 hectares hit by fires since July 5.

“Here, as everywhere else in France, there will be zero tolerance” for arsonists “because it is, of course, our national territory that is under attack every time a fire breaks out”, Macron added.

Around 1,000 residents were forced to leave their homes as the fires spread in the forest some 60 kilometres (40 miles) southeast of Paris, in a rare blaze in the north of the country.

Six people had been arrested in connection with the fires as of Wednesday, as firefighters continued to work to extinguish the flames completely.

Macron announced a funding drive to raise money to rehabilitate and protect the forest, a UNESCO biosphere reserve.