A major fire caused significant damage to one of the most emblematic buildings next to the Paris-Roubaix route on Monday evening.
Emergency services were called out to attend the blaze, with no victims reported.
The Restaurant L'Arbre, situated very close to the Carrefour d'Arbre sector of pavé, was reported to be on fire around 6.30 PM local time. A large plume of smoke and flames, visible for miles around, could be seen billowing from the roof of the large, wood-and-brick-lined building.
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The restaurant was closed at the time of the incident, with a passerby alerting the emergency services.
Awarded the maximum possible of five stars in the race's ranking of difficulty of cobbled sectors and a bone-crunching 2.1 kilometres, the Carrefour d'Arbre is famous for being the crunch moment of the finale of Paris-Roubaix, as it is the last major cobbled challenge before the run-in to the finish in the velodrome.
TV images often show the restaurant in the background, and hundreds of fans each year eat at the restaurant during the build-up to the race and on the day itself.
Full assessment of the damage has yet to be completed, but the roof was badly destroyed by the flames, a social media post from La Voix du Nord said. Olivier Turpin, mayor of the local town of Gruson, told the newspaper the fire was "a catastrophe. This is one of the symbols of the community."
Understood to be in Belgium at the time of the blaze, restaurant owners later posted a lengthy update on Facebook, thanking fans for their concern about the fire.
"We are profoundly touched by the numerous messages of support, encouragement and solidarity that we have received after the fire affecting our establishment."
"We wish to reassure you that the restaurant was closed at the time of the incident and nothing was going on inside. Our thanks to the fire service, who are currently fighting the flames with professionalism and courage. In this kind of challenge, your support matters a great deal."
