Southern France forest fire forces Tour de France stage to run without spectators

The fire currently burning in the department is located approximately 70 kilometers from Les Angles, the planned finish town, where the stage was expected to arrive at around 17:00 on Monday. Prefect Pierre Regnault de la Mothe told a press conference, reported by Le Parisien, that a decision on whether the stage can take place as planned will be made by the evening. The press conference also set out the spectator restrictions.

The fire broke out in a hard-to-access mountain massif and has already consumed almost 1,500 hectares, according to figures cited by regional authorities. Several thousand people were brought to safety, and the blaze continued to spread on Sunday as wind and dry, hot weather fueled the flames. "Mehrere tausend Menschen wurden in Sicherheit gebracht," officials said.

Fire spreads in difficult mountain terrain

Stéphane Clerc, the deputy fire chief of the region and a colonel, said overnight firefighting had already been difficult and warned that conditions were worsening. "Das Feuer gewinnt an Intensität, wir müssen den Kampf fortsetzen," Clerc told Le Parisien.

The third stage had been due to start at around midday on Monday in Granollers, Spain, covering 195.9 kilometers and nearly 4,000 meters of elevation before finishing in Les Angles. After crossing into France, the riders will travel the final kilometers without roadside crowds under the order announced by the prefecture.

A challenging stage through the Pyrenees

The race had arrived in Spain on Sunday, when the second stage took the peloton of 183 riders from Tarragona to Barcelona. Monday's planned route from Catalonia into the eastern Pyrenees is one of the most demanding of this year's race, climbing steeply through mountain terrain before reaching the finish.

Organizers and local authorities face a delicate balancing act between preserving a marquee sporting event and protecting residents and emergency workers. Spectators were called upon by the prefecture to refrain from coming to the route or to Les Angles. The publicity caravan, a long-standing feature of the Tour that precedes the riders and distributes promotional items, will also stay off French roads.

Authorities have not yet said whether the stage itself might be shortened, rerouted, or canceled if fire conditions deteriorate further overnight. A final ruling from the prefecture is expected before Monday morning. Reports of the press conference and the decision timeline first appeared in Le Parisien, and the message was broadcast by Deutschlandfunk on 5 July 2026.