A Sécurité civile water bomber suffered minor damage during operations against the Fontainebleau fire. The aircraft was temporarily withdrawn from the response. Its return to service is scheduled in the coming days.
The fire that ravaged more than 2000 hectares of Fontainebleau forest mobilized up to four Canadair aircraft, roughly one third of the French fleet. A few days after helping contain the flames, one of the planes sustained minor damage that led to its temporary unavailability.
The Interior Ministry confirmed the aircraft was immediately withdrawn for checks and maintenance in line with aeronautical safety rules. “Its return to service is scheduled in the coming days,” the ministry told Le Figaro.
Place Beauvau stated that the situation did not affect the operational capacity of the Sécurité civile. It recalled that forest fire fighting relies on the complementarity of ground and aerial resources.
