© Agence France-Presse / Francois GuillotFlames and smoke are seen billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019. A fire broke out at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris, potentially involving renovation works being carried out at the site, the fire service said.
The medieval Catholic cathedral, an irreplaceable example of ancient French Gothic architecture, went up in flames in the center of the French capital on Monday evening, with firefighters struggling to douse the flames.
Social media users near the scene of the fire engulfing Notre-Dame de Paris have posted horrifying footage of the fire.
A
Sputnik France stream of the situation showed the fire continuing to burn out of control as of 7:45 pm local time.
© The Guardian
The footage showed a massive plume of smoke rising from the cathedral's roof, with bright orange flames seen rising from the roof and from inside windows looking out onto River Seine.
The fire reportedly
began at around 6:50 pm local time, according to the Paris fire department. AFP reported that the fire may have been started accidentally during renovation works underway inside the cathedral. Police are currently treating the fire as an accident.
Smoke and fire is seen leaping from the top of Notre Dame, the iconic Paris cathedral. Videos shot by people show the blaze engulfing the spire between its bell towers.
© Agence France-Presse / Francois Guillot
The fire broke out in the cathedral on Monday afternoon, a Paris fire department confirmed, adding that a major operation to tackle the fire is underway.
The causes of the incident remain unknown so far.
The Medieval cathedral is one of the main attractions of the French capital, seeing 12 million tourists a year.
The incident took place as the jewel of the Gothic architecture was undergoing a major overhaul costing € 11 million ($ 12.43 million), with the renovation works being expected to be finished around 2022.
Last week, 16 bronze statues representing 12 apostles and four evangelists from the New Testament were lifted off the spire of the cathedral by crane. Some scaffolding can now be seen close to the flames leaping out near the cathedral's spire.
The spire itself was made of wood and covered with lead has long been in a bad shape as the elements of the construction dating back to the mid-nineteenth century have been damaged by weather, pollution and time.
© @snoopynette/Periscope
The cathedral was being built from 13th to 15th century.
Comment: France's Macron
canceled his planned address to the nation due to 'terrible fire' at Notre Dame cathedral:
Macron was set to hold a large press conference at the Elysee Palace on Monday. The president was expected to unveil a set of measures for the country in response to the Yellow Vest protests, which have been rocking the country for the past few months.
The said measures are believed to be based on the results of the "great national debate," held by the government in an attempt to funnel protest from the streets into a discussion instead. "We have decided to transform anger into solutions," Macron wrote on Twitter, announcing the press conference. "For months, we listened. Tomorrow, I will answer."
The grand unveiling of the government's measures, however, was marred by the massive fire at the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which caught fire shortly before the president's address. Citing the "terrible fire," Macron scrapped the event.
Macron is expected to arrive at the scene shortly, according to Elysee officials. Meanwhile, the cathedral's spire and roof have partially collapsed.
Could there be anything more symbolic than the burning down of one of France's oldest icons?
UPDATES 20:45 CETThe spire and entire roof have collapsed. Everything but the stone shell has probably been lost forever.
It's the worst damage to the cathedral in all its 9 centuries. It was partially destroyed by fire (deliberately)
during the 1789 revolution, though not this badly. Still, it took about 100 years to restore it...
Comments on French social media indicate that people - besides being distraught about this - are highly suspicious of foul play.
12 French churches were
vandalized in one week in mid-March. And that's not including the fire at ANOTHER iconic church in Paris -
the Saint-Sulpice - just one month ago. Back in February,
another four churches in France were vandalized, including the Notre Dame Church in Dijon. The whole thing has a 'systematic' flavor...
Who will be blamed? Russians? Muslims?
UPDATE 21:15 CETThe fire has spread to the stone towers. From an
AP reporter on the scene:
The mammoth fire that destroyed the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral has spread to one of the church's landmark rectangular towers.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene of Monday's fire in Paris watched the flames blazing behind an oblong stained-glass window in the tower.
Paris police say fighters are inside the cathedral working to put the flames out while others work from the exterior. Red smoke is pouring out of the cathedral.
A Notre Dame spokesman said earlier that the church's entire wooden interior was in flames.
This thing is in the MIDDLE of the RIVER SEINE. There should be dozens of streams of water from fire engines and tugboats aimed at the inferno...
UPDATE 22:00 CET'Blame Muslims' is definitely in the cards: 3 days ago, a man named Ines Madani, an Islamist activist, was
sentenced for plotting a terror attack at Notre Dame Cathedral in 2016.
Now French fire services are reporting that
they are "not sure" if the Notre Dame fire can be stopped...
UPDATE 23:00 CETThe fire is dying down. The Interior Ministry reports that the stone structure of the cathedral (including the towers) remains standing. Notre Dame can yet be rebuilt...
UPDATE 16/4/9:
Firemen have finally
entered the main area of the church
© Yoan Valat/EPAFirefighters enter the Notre Dame cathedral as flames are burning the roof in Paris, France.
© Yoan Valat/EPAInterior Notre Dame Cathedral
The main structure of Notre Dame, as well as its rectangular bell towers, has been saved,
according to the Paris fire brigade chief. Macron asked the country to commit to rebuilding Notre Dame together, announcing an international fundraising campaign to raise money for the repairs. A site taking online donations has been launched.
First time I've looked at TV news for years .. The Sky newscaster just commented that he is amazed the steel scaffolding hasn't collapsed, I think he expects steel to melt