The third stage of the Tour de France from Granollers, Spain, to Les Angles in the French Pyrenees will go ahead on Monday, but French authorities have ruled that it must take place without the public and with a stripped-down convoy, as emergency services are stretched battling a large wildfire in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, officials announced late Sunday.

Under the adapted plan, only essential race vehicles and riders will travel the route after the publicity caravan is halted for the final 40 kilometres inside France. Spectators are asked to stay away from the course and the finish area, with mobile gendarmerie units deployed to block access, the prefecture said.

The wildfire, which started near Ille-sur-Têt on Saturday evening, has burned through an estimated 1,500 to 1,600 hectares and remains uncontrolled, driven by heat, a strong tramontane wind, and low humidity. Firefighters number over 700, backed by nine water-bombing aircraft and hundreds of ground vehicles, according to local authorities. One firefighter and one resident were critically injured.

The fire front is some 70 kilometres from the finish, but officials feared the demands on security and emergency resources would compromise the race if no changes were made. The prefect, Pierre Regnault de la Mothe, said the ‘absolute priority’ was protecting people and containing the fire, and that the decision was taken in agreement with Tour director Christian Prudhomme. Seven southern French departments were classified at ‘very high’ fire risk by Météo-France on Sunday.

While the stage was never formally cancelled, the decision came after a day of contingency planning. The Tour organisation said the measures could be adjusted further depending on fire conditions, and it expressed solidarity with affected communities.