Sawt Falasteen - Major fire rages in Fontainebleau forest near Paris

The fire, which officials described as "very virulent" and of "exceptional scale", began late afternoon in the sprawling Fontainebleau forest about 60 kilometres (40 miles) south-east of the capital, a onetime royal hunting preserve that today is dotted with quiet villages.

It had raced across 300 hectares by 11:00 pm (2100 GMT) and was still spreading, officials said, causing the partial closure of the A6 highway, the country's main north-south artery.

Some 400 firefighters and special equipment laboured to contain the flames, which erupted just ahead of the July 14 national holiday and on the first major weekend for departures for the summer holiday season.

Traffic was disrupted in places along the highways in the area, as well as along the high-speed rail line leading to the south-east of the country.

Eric Brocardi, of France's national federation of firemen, said it was the first time that fire bomber planes had been sent up from the normally drier and hotter south of the country to extinguish fires in the Paris region.

Two firefighting helicopters and an observation aircraft were also helping to fight the blaze, he added.

Earlier, firemen dealt with a fire that had blocked a highway running east from Paris and disrupted a high-speed train line to the south of France.

- Third heatwave -

French rail company the SNCF said on Sunday evening there were delays of up to trains arriving at or leaving from Paris's Gare de Lyon.

The Paris region -- and large parts of the rest of France -- is currently experiencing its third heatwave since May, increasing the risk of fires.

The heatwave has also led officials to shut down three of the country's nuclear power stations.

And organisers of the Tour de France cycling race shortened Sunday's stage by 30 kilometres (19 miles) as temperatures on the route approached 40C.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that forest fires had already consumed 17,000 hectares this year. Once the figures had all been tallied, that would come to 25,000 hectares -- "twice as much as the same period" in 2025, he added.

K.AbuDahab--SF-PST