Horses have been evacuated from an equestrian centre near Paris as the Fontainebleau wildfire continues to rage.

Firefighters have been battling to bring the blaze under control over the last two days, with officials describing it as “virulent” and of “exceptional scale”.

Interior minister Laurent Nunez indicated the fire may have been deliberately set, after officials said the blaze had raced across 800 hectares in the forest about 40 miles (60km) south-east of Paris.

The Paris region is suffering through its third heatwave this year during a summer in which temperature records have been broken in several countries across Europe.