Update as wildfire hits Perpignan region ahead of Leeds Rhinos' game at Catalans Dragons
A massive wildfire has broken out in the south of France, near to where Leeds Rhinos will play Catalans Dragons on Saturday.
The blaze ignited last week in Trévillach, a village roughly 24 miles from Catalans’ home town of Perpignan. Around 12,000 acres of land have been incinerated, causing thousands of residents to be evacuated, though local officials are hopeful the inferno will be extinguished before the weekend.
Spectators were asked not to attend yesterday’s (Monday) finish of the Tour de France’s third stage at Les Angles, which is in the same Pyrénées-Orientales department as Perpignan. The peloton, including Leeds’ Tom Pidcock, were setting off as normal today from Carcassonne, around 45 miles from Dragons’ Stade Gilbert Brutus base.
Catalans spokesman Yannick Rey described the situation in the affected area as “horrific”. He told The Yorkshire Evening Post: “The game is not in danger, but indeed some people won’t be able to come to the game.
“Around 30 villages in the Perpignan area have been evacuated and more than 10,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. Many members of our fans’ groups live in these villages, so they won’t be able to be at the stadium on Saturday.”
The south of France is experiencing a summer heatwave with temperatures in Perpignan tomorrow forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius, which is 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately for Rhinos, it is expected to cool at the weekend with a high of 30 degrees C on Saturday and 27 - with a slight chance of rain - when the game kicks off at 9pm local time.
The Leeds team are due to fly out on Thursday, returning to Leeds the day after the match. They won 48-24 in hot conditions at French side Toulouse Olympique a month ago, but have not scored a point in their last three visits to Catalans.