Tour de France Stage Shut to Public as Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe

The climate crisis is no longer a distant warning. It is here, burning through our summer and forcing even the most cherished traditions to bend. This week, officials banned spectators from a stage of the Tour de France as wildfires tore across southern Europe, displacing thousands and scorching an area more than twice the size of Manhattan.

From Portugal to Greece, the flames have consumed over 19,000 hectares of land. In southwestern France, near Perpignan, 700 firefighters backed by special aircraft battled a “gigantic” blaze that forced more than 10,000 people from their homes. The fire nearly tripled in size since Sunday, devouring 4,600 hectares and leaving a firefighter and a resident injured.