TOUR DE FRANCE organisers have announced that they are shortening tomorrow’s final stage due to the wildfires which are ravaging southwest France.

The announcement comes after the interior ministry said that it would be redeploying officers initially mobilised to provide security for the race to areas affected by the fire.

A statement from organisers of the race ASO said: “In a spirit of national solidarity with the areas and communities affected, it was decided to adapt the route for the final stage from Thoiry to Paris.”

The 21st stage was due to last 133km and begin west of Paris in Thoiry.

However, it will now start on the Champs-Élysées in Paris and take in a couple of extra laps around the famous avenue before joining the main Montmartre circuit.

The new route will now only last 89km.

The wildfires are loacated around the Arcachon Bay Area near Bordeaux in the Gironde region, and around Biscarrosse in the Landes.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said today that the wildfires currently raging across France have burned nearly 98,000 hectares, as he described the total as a “historic record” for France.

The French defence ministry is deploying an additional 500 military personnel to help “protect people and property” during the wildfires, bringing the total number of troops mobilised to 1,500.

The troops will assist with evacuating residents from areas threatened by the fires and help safeguard homes left unattended during the emergency, the ministry said.