Tour de France: Police car catches fire near stage 14 finish

It’s not just the peloton that’s feeling the heat at the Tour de France after a police car caught fire on the final climb in Mende, where stage 14 is set to finish.

Thousands of police vehicles travel with the Tour de France, with officers helping to ensure the race can make its way around France unhindered.

As the riders were rolling out of Saint-Étienne shortly after midday, race organizer ASO issued a brief update saying that the road to the finish line was blocked inside the final two kilometers due to “specific intervention.”

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It did not detail what that specific intervention was, but it wasn’t long before pictures were posted online by members of the media crew that are following the Tour de France.

Former rider Fabian Wegmann, who is working on the race for German television, posted images and video of the incident on his Instagram account.

One of the videos shows the vehicle engulfed in flames with several race vehicles not far behind it. Another shows firefighters, with extinguishers before a hose is brought in to put the fire out. A last picture shows the fairly damaged carcass sitting on the side of the road.

A picture posted by a Sporza reporter shows a big plume of black smoke rising from the well-engulfed vehicle.

ASO said that the road would be opened “as soon as possible” and the incident is unlikely to have any impact on the stage finish. There have been no reports of injuries.

More photos from fire on Le Côte de la Croix-Neuve (Montée Laurent Jalabert). #TDF2022

📸: @FabianWegmann pic.twitter.com/qOxBKSnPNr

— CyclingTips (@cyclingtips) July 16, 2022

Auto vd politie in brand op de col van Mende. Reden ? Onbekend voorlopig.@sporza foto van onze technici onderweg pic.twitter.com/d9AD54kalQ

— christophe vandegoor (@chrisvandegoor) July 16, 2022