Tour de France stage to go ahead with changes as fires ravage southern Europe

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An "adapted" format of the third stage of the Tour de France will go ahead on Monday after wildfires sweeping southern France put the cycling stage in jeopardy, a top official said Sunday. The blaze, which has already scorched 1,500 hectares near the Pyrenees, is part of a wider wave of fires across southern Europe fuelled by extreme heat, forcing evacuations and raising fears of a long, intense wildfire season.