Notre Dame in Paris catches fire
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
The roof of Notre Dame cathedral in French capital Paris caught fire yesterday. The spire and at least part of the roof, and at least part of the wooden frame, collapsed. According to officials, the two bell towers were saved.
The fire reportedly started at about 19:00 local time (1700 UTC). Reportedly over 400 firefighters participated in extinguishing the blaze and were still working as of midnight. Not only did they put out the fire but they continued to cool the structure after the fire was gone to reduce the possibility of further damage.
Officials cleared the area around the cathedral.
The French Civil Security service said water bombing by aircraft was disallowed as it might have caused additional damage to the monument.
As of late yesterday, the fire's cause had not been officially stated. President Emmanuel Macron cancelled an address he was to have given during the evening and instead went to the scene.
Renovation work was ongoing in the building before the fire began. The world-famous cathedral, completed in the 13th century, is one of the most well-known monuments in France.
Gallery
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Fire in the frame of Notre Dame.
Image: LeLaisserPasserA38. -
The Cathedral was under renovation at the time of the fire, as seen by the scaffolding around the remains of the spire.
Image: Remi Mathis. -
The collapse of the spire, around 19:45 CEST
Image: Remi Mathis (photos), Incnis Mrsi (montage). -
Eyewitness video from a nearby skyscraper
Image: Mano B.a. (YouTube).
Sister links
Sources
- Gabrielle Adams, Sarah Swain. "Notre Dame cathedral in Paris saved as massive fire engulfs building, causing tower to collapse" — 9News, April 16, 2019
- Sybille de la Hamaide, Simon Carraud, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Sarah White, Michel Rose. "Paris' historic Notre-Dame Cathedral hit by fire" — Reuters, Apr 15, 2019
- "Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris" — BBC News, Apr 15, 2019
- "DIRECT. Incendie en cours à la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris" — Le Parisien, Apr 15, 2019 (French)