Inside France's Largest Wildfire Firefighters Risk Toxic Smoke to Save Forest

Forest fire. I am the firefighters. Come with me. OK. Come. In personal safety for a trip to the vehicle. The perimeter of the fire is 23 km across two sites. We have this fire that covers 1600 hectares. A second fire that covers 400 hectares. What percentage of the forest was burned? That's 10% of 10% strong. There's smoke on the right there. You should know that I'm filming the video right now. It's 2026. We have a very, very, very hot summer, and the hotter it gets, the drier nature becomes, and the more easily fire can spread. I'm still waiting for my 7. You have two coming. They are barely 500m further away.

You can already feel that it's becoming more difficult to breathe. Here, we have a reprise of the ending. In fact, you can see the flames in the distance. So, you can see all the smoke, the flames a little bit. This means that we need to keep an eye on all of this Well, in fact, he's calling on DCF to come and do an extinction, a massive attack to prevent it from starting up again and spreading to the vegetation that is n't yet on fire. Damn, that's impressive. I know that we feel so powerless in the face of that. Then going so fast. You were explaining to me that it's not just the flames that are dangerous, it's mainly the fumes that are extremely toxic and can

actually kill. That's why we're telling the population to anticipate, evacuate or stay confined, so they find themselves in the heart of the forest fire. OK. And in the smoke. All right. OK. And even just from there, a few meters away, you can really smell the smoke. And there, and there, we can clearly see that there are no firefighters there at this moment. Is it serious, or not serious? So, are they going to arrive? Then we heard that they were arriving with several CCFs. The fire started like that. He progressed mainly because of the wind.

This second fire, we had that and then we had a wind reversal. The wind blew it here to us. Knowing that you have Fontaine Bow there, if the wind ever changes direction, there's a real risk here. OK. Come on, there's a dash coming our way and it's going to throw water on the fire which is a little further away. It will dump 6 tons of water. It should be noted that there are more than 600 firefighters mobilized there on the Flo Fontainebleau. That's huge. More than 800 firefighters were mobilized. Canadair water bombers, landing craft and water-bombing helicopters were deployed. This is one of the first times such a large aerial system has been used in Île-de-France for a

forest fire. What is the difference between a Dash and a Canadair? So the Canadar, if you want, it can scoop water onto the stage, it can drop water directly. The dash, on the other hand, is bigger, it's heavier, it carries even more water. However, it cannot bail water; it is forced to land at an airfield to refuel. Another advantage of the dash is that it can drop retardant. It's a red product that will be applied to the vegetation, which means that when fire reaches it, the fire is stopped. So where are these Canadians from So they come from Nimgaron and they are scooping up on the stage. It's a 4-minute flight from here. This is the first time this has happened in cinema. We had many homes that were threatened with access that was difficult for

machinery. So the dash arrived first, it made drops and that allowed the homes to be saved. First we advance 200m, everyone gets on the line, we fire a line of 45 and there is a fire restart maximum protection 15 cagou eye protection the aspirator with the cagou and we hit the fire restart immediately. OK. I'm first, I'm focused on the road. There, you'll see your b, you'll see the wheel of fire on the left. There is controversial green fern and we go into contact with the fire and we stare at it. Who is behind me? I'm in my second month, I have C tu on my 45 line. OK.

I have 45 and I have 32. The one who is more armed, he sets himself up, he sets himself up. OK. I don't care, you just need to get me two 45mm pipes while we unclog the debido so I can fix it. We're doing this on the same channel. OK. And off we go. And then once we've fixed the fire, it's well wet and we're using 45mm ammunition and we're hitting the tower. Guys, otherwise it's going to happen again every time. That's where we'll see them progress. Ah, there we see that this is the product that is thrown away by the dashes. The retardant helps to slow the spread of the fire. So, how long have you been here? I've been on the job since 8pm.

Since 8pm yesterday? Since 8pm yesterday. This is the next generation with the Viotant Gilant. So, I'm leaving him with a group and a half of these 4L forest fire engines OK. So, how did the night go then Quite intense because we had several background shots throughout, basically staring at a finger. So it's a fire that starts to the side. So in fact, they are currently setting up a plan to access the fire with the lance and to hit the fire directly. So now they're going to move into the vegetation to really wait for the flames and to really stop the spread. We'll try to follow them as closely as we can right in the middle of it. The objective is to have a line there and the aim of the game is both, we do this and we come back like that.

Be careful in Canada, they don't throw 6 tons of cones at you from a distance. So, they are actually in the process of reaching an agreement. They are currently scouting the area, analyzing it, and then they will set fire to the cars. OK. Water turned on. Open. Water turned on. He shouted. Yeah. There's a pipe there that's filling up with water The objective, and this is what we often hear in the media, is that the fire is fixed, meaning that the perimeter you have there, it evolves throughout. When it evolves, it evolves, evolves. So we're trying to bring him down. So we're really on it now, we're starting to go in and this is going to last 15 days, wow, and the objective here is that we can

maintain these reinforcements as long as there isn't anything else in France because these are national reinforcements, if we have another fire in France we have what we have given priority to what we call the necessary fire because here my fire is developed I will be able to lose resources to the collective benefit, wow, it's huge, the number of training sessions I've done with the firefighters, seeing it in practice is impressive. So here we see that they are trying to hit very quickly, hit the fire so that it doesn't spread. You can see from the vegetation that it's very dry. The ferns are orange and round.

There is pressure in the pipe. You do n't realize it, but you need a physical connection; it's impressive. When you're in a fire like that, do you realize the importance of having a good physical connection as your good foot? Or it's essential. We train all year round for interventions like this. There are calm moments and fast-paced moments like that. It should be noted that 9/10 of fe is of human origin. Involuntary or voluntary. It could be a MO cigarette, it could be a burning vehicle driving through a forest that sets off sparks, it could be a barbecue, it could be someone in their garden who wants to burn wood, leaves, fireworks. So please be responsible, inform your parents, family, friends and adopt the right habits.

How's it going there? For now, my mission is to stop the fire from spreading along this route and to prevent it from crossing the departmental road. The fire went out a few days ago. How long can a fire like that take to completely go out? The peculiarity of the water fountain is that there are many towers everywhere and the problem there, as you can see, is that even if we have extinguished the flames, the slightest gust of wind reignites it and you have it behind you. But as long as we haven't flooded this peat, we'll spend days and flooding the peat. We need water.

Here you have water, foam, what are you using? Here, we add biophor N, an additive that penetrates plants more easily and spreads more easily. We're going to boost the water molecule to have more surface area to treat. OK. Yeah, Seb, I'll have to switch to 2 x 22. You split your two pairs. However, you always stay in biopt uh so that we have flow to have bioport on both lances. OK. You hit me right along the edge to a depth of 10m so that we can at least stop it in relation to the tower. OK, message received. You, who are used to seeing fires, what kind of fire is that? Very dry plants. It's selling super fast. We need to be as responsive as possible to prevent rapid spread. So what do we

need to pay attention to here? Especially in the wind. You need to be mobile to come back here. I know it's difficult, but you have to be mobile. It's physically demanding for those guys. Yeah. Yeah, it's difficult. Well, that's the peculiarity of Fontaine B. We don't have too many rocks there yet. It's okay, but the rocky areas are, I don't know, we may have taken you to the lower part earlier. In 9 out of 10 cases, a human hand is the cause of the fire, but its extent is directly linked to dried-out vegetation, extreme heat, and increasingly early heat waves, in 10 out of 10 cases caused by human hands.

What are you watering there? So the idea is to work quite offensively to prevent the spread of the fire. So what is this? Is that peat Yes, absolutely. At the end of the day, do you feel so tired from work that you just want to sleep No, it's very stimulating. We do this because we committed to doing it Of course. Indeed, it's tiring but you want to come back because you feel it working your whole body, your abs, arms, and legs. Exactly. So, what time do you think you'll be working until? Listen, I won't lie to you, I don't look at the time. Yeah, actually it's a job where you're not on your phone right now.

No, that's clear. How long have you been a firefighter? It will be 10 years. That's an impressive fire there. It's a fire that deserves to be talked about in the newspapers. Yeah, indeed. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. to make a really interesting report and take advantage of the young community to raise awareness. It's difficult to reach a community that is n't covered by the press, a community that we should be able to reach on the prevention side. It's difficult to touch on all these subjects at once, the forest nature conference and all that, to avoid doing just anything, you see. THANKS. Yeah, of course, with pleasure. Hey, are you feeling well?

Yeah, of course, with pleasure guys. How are you feeling? Go ahead. Great. So how does it work then? We're refueling here, between the trucks. OK. And so, we bring it up to the lance. What is your role? Is it about making the connection? between the truck and the hoses over there. Exactly. Apply the necessary pressure so that they have enough water at the end of the nozzle and so that. What pressure are we at approximately now?

We're at 10 bar here. It's a lot or it's not bad, but you shouldn't have too much either, the flows explode. What is the capacity of the truck in liters of water in this truck? We have 3500 L. And in a fire of this magnitude, how long does that capacity last? It all depends on the type of spear you put on the end. But in 20 minutes, half an hour, we'll have more water. Whoa! It's going quite fast. Whoa! Now we're going to head towards another source of the fire. It should be noted that the Fontainebleau forest is the largest forest in the Île-de-France region. Each year, it welcomes between 10 and 15 million

visitors. It is an iconic site for hikers, climbers and nature lovers. And seeing a fire of this magnitude near Paris is extremely rare. Why were there farmers standing there on the side of the road? So, farmers have a super important job, which is that they already have knowledge of the sector and they have large tanks with large water capacities. And so, to improve the speed of the firefighters' trail run to avoid what is called making shuttles to go to the fire hydrants. So, it brings us, I would say, more trucks, more capacity, which allows us to reduce our vehicle rotations and therefore be even more efficient for longer.

The role is to bring the firefighters closer to the water at the foot of the forest, we continue. And so, you make the round trips to bring back water, we take them at the level of the large parquet floor. And is that of your own free will, or is it a mission that gives you this? No, we gave, we called our unions to say that we had some available. OK. And then they called us back yesterday to come and help them. is just too good. So how many days have you been here? We arrived yesterday at noon, we rested a little last night, we came back this morning to collect their milk and now we're in control.

Thanks to our farmer friends who will watch the video. Given the scale of the fire, everyone came to lend a hand. Firefighters from Île-de-France, from the south, military personnel, farmers and even the local population. There's a helicopter overhead too. "That's funny," he'll say, "he throws water and throws himself off, how does that work?" Flawless. So what's going on here Secure the personnel to return them to the vehicle. OK. They're going to release the water then. That's it. So there are firefighters inside who need to come back.

Wow, the resources are impressive. Captain, I have a question. At what point will you be deploying helicopters or Canadair water bombers? Helicopters and Canadair water bombers are coming to reinforce the troops on foot. Their advantage is that they release a large mass of water which manages to penetrate all the way to the ground. It will come to blow and extinguish at the same time the When we are on construction sites with the Canadair water bombers and there is a civil security helicopter that is there that acts like a gay man, activates its siren and it is this one that allows people to be alerted. The dash there. Right now

, I can tell you're really paying attention. What are you doing? What are you listening to? We must always be very vigilant about what is happening around us and above us because there are a number of aerial assets that are involved and that can drop at any moment. So, we need to be vigilant for the teams that are working on the ground because they must not be below when the drops are happening. So in fact, that's why we're really keeping a close eye on where the helicopters are, where the planes are. We can hear that one is approaching, so we always have to be vigilant, to know if it's going to drop out or not. Generally, we know which area they are in, but well, it still depends on where we

are. They still please us there. We're alarming him. Yeah. Go back away How many liters is dropped by a helicopter? The helicopter will depend on which ones. But you have up to 3000 LE. And there's a Canadair. So there are Canadas that do more, that do double, and then you have the white planes, the Milans, that we are waiting for. Theirs is 10,000 L. So where do the kites come from? They arrive from the Villaroche airfield where they normally refuel with water; they usually use red water, which contains retardant, but currently, to limit rotations, it's gold,

and the advantage of helicopters is that the strike is surgical. You saw they arrived, they dropped very precisely. As the planes come, there needs to be a slightly longer trail. All right. OK. It depends on the area. So it will depend on the area, it will also depend on the canopy, so the density of forest and what is on the ground and neck of course. And there is wind here. What is this? Is the wind a bit more of a problem for you ? Yes. The wind fanned the flames and our fire went up in smoke. So the tobe is hot and as soon as there is wind, it reactivates everything. So there's a helicopter that's just finished working here. You have to pay attention to everything. That's it. We

have to be extremely careful because they're going to drop it. So their drop is quite precise, but our personnel must not be below it. So that's why as soon as we hear the alerts, as soon as we hear them coming, we actually step back to let them work and make their drop. We are really listening to what is happening on the ground. So we'll also hear it from the sound of what's happening on the fire, actually. We'll hear the cracking, we'll hear the evolution, we'll hear it advance under the tower, we'll hear it burn. OK. So indeed, we can see that there are a few reprises. OK. Well, the wind also pushes the smoke to the left. So we don't have it towards us. So, the firefighters are going to come and control this area. We're going to

go to another location to see what's going on That helicopter over there, it's going back to work there. Not too hot here. It's okay, it's okay. What time are you arriving? Uh, we've been here since yesterday. Yesterday? Yesterday morning. Did you sleep at all or not? little courage, guys. I know, but yeah. And so, since this morning in fact, we can hear planes passing overhead, helicopters making numerous drops. And so, it's really a real support for the teams that are on the ground. All the airdrops we've had since this morning are really a

valuable help to them. We were talking about it earlier, but the importance of physical fitness in this profession is impressive. We can see the pipes are very heavy and we can also see from their fit, well they still have their complete outfit in summer we are on heatwave episodes with intense heat. We are looking for people who are resilient. We need to be able to sustain this over time. No bodybuilders, more like skinny cats, what we often call not having a physique, but we don't want athletes of a level that will do 10 to 12 hours a day.

So they're going to be on the forest fire for 12 hours, so they have to be able to sustain it for a long time. I see him coming with the carrying key actually, it's the specific tool for forest fires so it allows them to transport it. Yeah. This is what allows them to transport the hoses, the nozzles, the dividers, uh, all the equipment for extinguishing the fire. Whoa! In France, 40,000 hectares have already burned since the beginning of 2026. That's more than the entire 2025 season and it's only July. that the fire could have reached such a scale in Île-de-France, normally little affected, and indicative of the evolution of climate change.

There, you can really see that the fire went across both sides of the road on the left, jumped the road and went back to burn on the right. Impressive. How sad. You can even see the sign there that was slightly burned. The origin of the fire was certainly the initiative of an individual, but its scale is that of global warming. It's a desolate scene when you see that. Heatwave, drought and unfortunately these episodes are destined to become more and more frequent and intense.

Experts agree that the ecological reconstruction of the site will take several decades, or even more than a century, to recover large trees in the most affected areas. This silence is that of a devastated forest. And even if no human losses are reported, this is not the case for the fauna and flora, too often forgotten among the victims. military personnel from the civil security service, it's not just the BSPP that was deployed there. So the first call here was from the firefighters of Saint Etarn, very quickly reinforced by the firefighters of Laesson, and then the rescue efforts were organized to what we call a ramp-up. So we saw

the other resources of the Île-de-France, whether it was the firefighters of Yvelines, Valdoise, and very quickly the fire was gaining momentum. National resources have been deployed, including military training, civil security, and reinforcement columns of firefighters who have arrived from all over France, from the north, the east, and the southeast. We have the Var firefighters, the Marseille marine fire brigade battalion with the smoke. The sun, it's almost orange. It has a rather unusual color. And there, we can see all the smoke. This is the first time there has been a fire of this magnitude here.

First time in the Île-de-France region and in the Fontainebleau forest and of this size. Huge farm. 2000 hectares in any case in the Fontaineble forest. Yes, it's huge. Canadair water bombers in Île-de-France, we've never seen that before. Yeah, there we see it on the sign. No fires allowed. So we repeat, no barbecues, no MO and no working with tools that produce sparks. What can we do about cigarette butts without throwing them away? So we can use pocket ashtrays. Moreover, the National Federation of Firefighters of France will actually give away more than 200,000 pocket ashtrays during the

summer period, particularly during the men's and women's Tour de France. OK. There you can see that there's a fire in the background. We wanted to go further. Except that in this case, it's Canada that's working above the area. We don't want to get 6 tons of water dumped on our heads. We can see the trucks heading towards the fire. You can feel that things are starting up again on the other side OK, now we can see the forest. Yeah, we can see all the damage. The forest is home to exceptional biodiversity with over 6600 animal species and 5600 plant species. While some animals were able to escape the flames, this was not the case for all of them. And for the survivors, being far from

their city is depriving of their bearings. We can smell it. Yeah, the smell is impressive. There, we can see the dash that's working there. In terms of resources, the fire is impressive. And there, we can see thick smoke. The fire must still be inside. As a reminder, in the case of an unintentional fire, the penalties incurred are 2 to 5 years in prison and up to €100,000 in fines. And in the case of arson, 15 to 20 years imprisonment and a €150,000 fine. Tibo, pleased to meet you. Good morning. Are you doing well Good morning. We're doing a news report. We're making a YouTube video. Good morning.

Hello Dad Charlie. Papa Charlie, sector manager Aline. Radio com by Ah, there's Héco there, look. Good morning. I understand perfectly. That's the helicopter that's going to come and take the bag of. That's it. The public must not come to film or take photos. It pollutes the area and the aerial resources can't do their job. So, for your information, I have visual contact with the two condors that have just arrived in the area. The HBE power supply site is operational. OK, we'll have to move the bath because the helicopter is just too close to the trees. Let's move back there for the pilots, please.

They're going to take it there. So now they're going to move the berths to spread them out a bit more so that the aerial teams can hop in and take on the water. There, we can see the helicopter getting closer. It is important to know that as soon as air resources are deployed, helicopter, Canadar, Dash, the population must bleed as much as possible. Likewise, drones should not be used because they actually delay the arrival of emergency services. There shouldn't be any people or drones around for safety reasons. OK, we can see it, he's diving, we need to be precise.

Oh dear. The theme used is "scooped". When a helicopter comes to pick up water, we say a helicopter scoops up water. Impressive. And there it is. Wow! SP to the guy with millimeter precision, huh, same there. OK, same here, the helicopter has changed. Yeah! Don't stay in the path in case it's me. It looks like a war zone. We shouldn't stay here too long., you can see there are a lot of cars in front of us. He must have a starting point there.

The special feature of the truck that is just behind me is that it is a truck, what we call an urban truck, which normally operates when there is a fire in a city. The fire there is so huge that they have mobilized forest fire engines and urban firefighting vehicles. You can see the difference in the tire. This one is a smooth tire, and earlier it looked a bit like a 44 tire. OK. Here, we can see that there is another source of fire. OK, let's go see how he works. The flames don't stop, they continue. This will take them days and weeks.

He made us back up because there was so much smoke, we couldn't breathe anymore. When firefighters have prevention messages, we should always listen to them. That's the thing, fire is not a game. It's very dangerous. All the instructions we give you are not to bother you, they are truly to save you. So the authorities will ask you either to evacuate or to remain confined. OK. So it's really important to listen for evacuation or lockdown orders. Do those firefighters have wings to breathe or not? No, actually, we're here fighting a forest fire, so we're wearing balaclavas. So I think you were able to see it there when it progressed. They generally all have their balaclavas at eye level,

actually just below the eyes, to protect them. And so these are caps that are filtering and that protect against fumes that can be harmful. Afterwards, the teams generally also pay close attention to the following area so as not to have the smoke going towards the. we had a lot of. in our heads there. Wow! What should people have at home as a survival kit, just in case? So, we were talking about evacuation. What is important is to have a survival kit that is already prepared, therefore anticipated, which can also be used for

anything related to storms and floods. So it's really useful for all kinds of disasters, and especially now during the forest fire season. So it's a kit where we put water, non-perishable food, identity papers, a little bit of money, a mobile phone, a charger, a small first aid kit, medicines, what can be used for 24 to 72 hours, so we can organize ourselves with relatives, with the authorities. And there, we can feel the fire, it's right behind us, we can feel the heat. Yeah, it's pretty impressive. Finally, we can see it here, yet we are still a few meters away. The heat is definitely coming. We can see the flames in the distance. So in fact, it really shows the influence he has.

Oh, that stings the eyes! Oh, that stings the eyes. We were smoked in each other's mouths. That's impressive. There's guys, you need to take responsibility. Well done. On the other side, it's the A6 motorway that's closed empty like that. Yeah. You see, there, there, that's what we see, others leaving, so that, well, there was a fire, you know. It's because it almost snowed, you see, it's taking corridors, you see there. Yeah, and there's nothing there. He 's booked it, right? That's the speed of passage. He jumps with speed, jumps with fire. The damage here is still impressive.

Tuas part d'am c'est ça? Yeah, in the idea, in the concept, you know. Yeah, the damage from OP. Since the start of the investigation, four people have been arrested. Two workers who are believed to be responsible for the first fire unintentionally following a repair near the A6 motorway and two 18- year-olds who are believed to have started the fires intentionally. That's it, we're just talking human nonsense. Yeah. That's what you see, yeah. We can't visualize it. Yeah, yeah. You should know that following the fire, Highway 6 was closed. Come on, let's go take a look at it.

Normally, of course, we could never do that when there are cars, and in this case, there's nobody around. That, that's unique. There's no one on the highway in the middle of it. It must have been impressive for the guys who were driving there to have flames coming from each other. We'll find some images for the firefighters. It's extremely difficult to make progress in an environment like that. Of course, we can clearly see that everything has been completely burned down. A Mo jeet. Yeah, that's what an MGO jeet can cause. Someone is driving on the highway at 6 and throws it out the window, it falls here and does this.

Responsibility is at stake on two levels. Our individual precautions include things like turning off a moo, not lighting a barbecue, and our collective ones. Giving our forests, our firefighters, our territories the means to counter the worsening of climate change. Yeah. Good morning. When there is a fire, we often talk about what has been destroyed, but not enough about what has been saved by the firefighters. Come here with me. And it should be noted that following the fire, no houses were destroyed. The firefighters managed to save all the houses and look, it really stops right next to the house here south of

Paris. It's important to know that the population is not used to this at all. In the Landes region, for example, the population is used to fleeing in case of fire, but in this instance, people didn't know what to do. The firefighters told them to evacuate, but they didn't have that reflex. They didn't know how to do it. Are you doing well? If you are delighted. Good morning. We're here to make a YouTube report. Here, there were urban means of urban vans which were established to preserve an abattoir and they made the largest of canader. In addition, what 's really interesting is that you can see the house right here and there,

look, thanks to the firefighters, the water bomber, all the teams, the fire stopped here, 2 meters away. We were really close there. And just look straight ahead, everything is burnt out. The fire was right behind the houses, so the one you see opposite. So, in fact, in terms of our operational strategy, we placed one vehicle per dwelling to defend the dwelling. In fact, our goal is really to defend sensitive areas, homes, facilities, animals, that sort of thing. We are really dealing with the defense of homes and that's why there was really one vehicle per home to really protect them and you can see around you that this strategy worked very well because the fire

actually stopped right where the vehicles were to really defend the home. What time have you been here? Since 7am this morning. What is your mission here? The idea is to drown the embers and prevent them from returning to the fire, and that's how it works. And there, that's good, it seems to be at the foot there. Here yeah we pretty much turned everything off and everything started up again. OK, so after that it's drowning. You could really feel that we were right next to the house there. Yes.

People were evacuated from the back. Yes, yes, there's nobody left at this level. All right. OK. Evacuated, there's nobody left. OK. Thank you so much. Good luck. Please return the photo with you if there are no problems. phone with you. Thank you so much. Thanks guys. Good luck. The important thing to remember is that everyone pitched in to help How are you feeling? Today, the fires are now contained, but they are not yet extinguished. Firefighters will need to monitor the area for several

days, or even several weeks. These fires endanger residents, wildlife, flora, heritage and firefighters.