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

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.