This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/15/notre-dame-fire-paris-france-cathedral

The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 5 Version 6
Notre Dame fire: Paris cathedral devastated by ferocious blaze Notre Dame fire: Paris cathedral devastated by ferocious blaze
(about 1 hour later)
Thousands of Parisians have watched in horror from behind police cordons as a ferocious blaze devastated the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral, destroying its spire and spreading to the historic bell towers. Thousands of Parisians watched in horror from behind police cordons as a ferocious blaze devastated Notre Dame Cathedral, destroying its spire and a large part of the roof.
Firefighters battled to contain the fire, which began at 5.50pm local time (16.50 GMT) on Monday, with police saying it began accidentally and may be linked to building work at the cathedral. The 850-year-old gothic masterpiece had been undergoing restoration work to help it better withstand the tests of time. Firefighters battled to contain the fire, which began at around 6pm on Monday. An investigation has been opened by the prosecutor’s office, but police said it began accidentally and may be linked to building work at the cathedral. The 850-year-old gothic masterpiece had been undergoing restoration work.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, attended the scene and later gave a speech in which he vowed that the cathedral would be rebuilt, as fire crews said the landmark’s rectangular bell-towers and structure of the building had been saved.
Macron said “the worst had been avoided” thanks to hundreds of brave firefighters who battled for hours and who would continue working through the night. One firefighter was severely injured but no other casualties were reported.
“What happened tonight in Paris, in this cathedral is a terrible event,” the president said, vowing to raise funds worldwide and bring the best talents from around the world to reconstruct the building in its entirety.
“Notre-Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our liberations, the epicentre of our lives ... So I solemnly say tonight: we will rebuild it together.”
Thousands of Parisians – many weeping and some praying – watched as vast orange flames soared from the roof for hours, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the western world. There were gasps on the southern bank of the river Seine as locals watched fire sweep across the roof, which slowly caved in.
The 12th-century cathedral is home to priceless works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions, immortalised in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It attracts about 13 million visitors a year from around the world.
“We consider the two towers of Notre-Dame to have been saved,” the Paris fire-service commander Jean-Claude Galler said at around 11pm, as firefighters were still working to contain flames. The fire service said the fire had been reduced and it was a major accomplishment by hundreds of firefighters that the flames were stopped from spreading to the north tower belfry. However, the roof “had been ravaged”, with around two thirds destroyed.
Fire brigade officers, who were preparing to spend the night attempting to cool the building, said the structure of the cathedral was “saved and preserved”. A spokesman said there was still a risk that scaffolding in the heart of the building could collapse.
By 7pm, flames had burst through the roof of the cathedral and quickly engulfed the lead and wood structure of the cathedral’s spire, which collapsed.
The spire had been added to the building in the 19th century. As part of its renovations, several bronze statues that surrounded the spire had been removed.
The wooden frame at the top of the 13th-century landmark was made from so many oak beams that it was known as “the forest”. That wood proved so combustible, the Paris fire service said, that it there was a danger to firefighters.
Smoke billowed into the sky, isible from across the city, and ash fell in the surrounding area.
The cathedral and surrounding buildings were evacuated and police closed several metro stations and cordoned off roads by the river.
On the left bank of the river Seine, thousands of onlookers gathered at police cordons watching as the flames burned high into the clear blue sky. As part of the roof gradually collapsed in flames, bangs and crackles could be heard from the street. Some people sang Catholic liturgies as they watched. Others sank to their knees. Many were in tears.
Camille, 20, from Normandy, a history student at the Sorbonne, watched as flames blazed through the frame of one of the cathedral’s smaller stained glass windows. “There’s a feeling of total sadness and also anger,” she said. “It’s our heritage. Whether you’re Christian or not, part of our history is going up in smoke.”
Alexis, 35, a finance worker, had hurried to the scene after seeing the first images on the television news. “I rushed down. I never thought it would be this depressing,” he said. Over the course of an hour, he watched as the flames spread across the roof and sections of it slowly collapsed.
A 55-year-old furniture restorer, who did not wish to give his name, said: “This is a major moment,” he said. This building is a symbol of Catholicism. It’s a symbol of Paris.”
Paris’s deputy mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, said emergency services were trying to salvage artwork and other priceless items stored there. “There are a lot of art works inside ... it’s a real tragedy,” the city’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, told reporters at the scene.
On the north side of the Cathedral on the Île Saint-Louis, more crowds had gathered. “It’s a national tragedy,” said Paul Rechter, who lives barely 100 metres from the cathedral. “It’s a symbol of France that is collapsing there, part of our national identity going up in smoke. Part of our history, our culture, our literature ... How on earth could it have happened? Why were there no precautions?”
His wife Agnes said her parents and grandparents had lived on the Île Saint Louis and the Île de la Cité. “We have known the cathedral since childhood,” she said. “It’s part of our personal history, too.” She said she thought most of all of “the centuries of work, of craftsmanship, that went into that building ... The number of men who have worked on it down the years.”
Pierre Mesnage, 44, who has lived on the Île de la Cité for the past 20 years in an apartment that overlooks the cathedral, said: “I cried when I saw it, honestly. I wept. It’s see that building every single day, all day if I’m at home. It’s a drama. A personal and a national tragedy. I’m a Catholic, too, so there’s an added significance. I really don’t understand how it could happen. This is an emblem of Paris, an emblem of France. Why wasn’t it protected?”
Ruud van der Leij, a computer studies teacher from Rotterdam, said he had been staring at the flames for more than two hours. “You can’t look away,” he said. “It’s awful and fascinating at the same time. A terrible, awful, sad affair. Such a symbol.”
Marina Valleix, 42, said she had come specially from her home in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. “I do treasure hunts with clues, for children, round the big Paris monuments,” she said. “I’m here more or less every weekend. I had to come and see.”
The disaster “has got to me, definitely”, she said. “I’m confident it will be rebuilt, and I know Notre Dame has already burned, the spire has already fallen in the past. I know we can and will rebuild. But still, it’s sad. To see it like this, it’s terribly sad.”
The Guardian view on the Notre Dame fire: we share France’s terrible lossThe Guardian view on the Notre Dame fire: we share France’s terrible loss
“Everything is burning,” André Finot, a spokesman for the cathedral, told French media. “Nothing will remain from the frame.” S
Flames burst through the roof of the cathedral – one of France’s most visited places – and quickly engulfed the spire, which collapsed. The spire was made of wood and lead and was built during a restoration in the mid-19th century.
A huge plume of smoke wafted across the city and ash fell over a large area. No deaths or injuries were initially reported.
Buildings around the cathedral were evacuated as the fire department launched a major operation. Police closed several metro stations and cordoned off roads by the river.
Late on Monday, the Paris prosecutors’ office said it had ruled out arson, adding that police would conduct an investigation into “involuntary destruction caused by fire”.
A cathedral spokesman said the entire wooden interior of the 12th-century landmark was burning and was likely to be destroyed, and the city’s deputy mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, said emergency services were trying to salvage artwork and other priceless items stored there.
“There are a lot of art works inside … it’s a real tragedy,” the Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, told reporters at the scene.
On the left bank of the river Seine, thousands of people gathered to watch the fire as orange flames towered from the roof. Fire trucks could be seen speeding towards the scene on the Île de la Cité, the island where the cathedral is located.
Some in the crowd were crying and others started singing hymns.
Alexis, 35, said he had hurried to the scene after seeing the first images on television. “I rushed down as soon as I saw what was happening. I never thought it would be this depressing.”
Over the course of an hour, he watched as the flames rose from the roof and sections of it collapsed. “When I got here, the roof was still there. I slowly watched it fall.”
Camille, 20, from Normandy, a history student at the Sorbonne, stood at the police cordon. “There’s a feeling of total sadness and also anger. It’s our heritage. People in the crowd have been singing hymns. Whether you’re Christian or not, part of our history is going up in smoke.”
Some in the crowd said they felt helpless, watching flames spreading across the building. The fire brigade used cherry pickers to spray the building with water from beyond the bell towers.
As night fell, the dull glow of the flames, dampened by jets of water from firefighters’ hoses, continued to flicker across the water on the Île Saint-Louis.
“We are staying just down the street and heard the sirens,” said a visibly distressed Fred Phelps, 72, from Sebastopol in Sonoma County, California, who was in Paris on holiday with his wife Diane, 71, and had booked a guided tour of the cathedral and tower for Wednesday.
“It’s one of the things I wanted to see before I died,” Phelps said. “We saw what was happening and we both welled up. It’s terrible, just terrible. And to see the face of the Parisians, and hear the emotion in their voices. We don’t understand French, but we understand this. We’re both very moved.”
Marie-Anna Ecorchard from Morbihan in Brittany, said she was on a cafe terrace when she saw the first plumes of smoke rise into the air.
“It’s dreadful,” she said. “We’ve seen people sobbing, tears pouring down their faces. This is part of the heritage of Paris, not just of Paris but of all France. It’s just terrible to see such a magnificent building go up in flames. You feel it almost physically.”
Huge fire sweeps through Notre Dame Cathedral – in picturesHuge fire sweeps through Notre Dame Cathedral – in pictures
When the cathedral’s spire collapsed soon after 7pm there was “like a huge gasp, a collective cry” from everyone watching, Ecorchard said. “What can you say? Seeing it, just across the river, it’s almost like watching a person suffer ...”
Alice Lohr, 26, a lawyer from Paris, said she was “immensely sad. This is a great historic monument, part of the beauty of Paris, part of the history of France. It’s literature, it’s Victor Hugo, musical theatre, the Hunchback – it’s just such a big thing in your life.
The cathedral dates back to the 12th century and played a role in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
Agnes Rechter, who lives in the Marais, a few hundred metres from Notre Dame said: “We have known the cathedral since our childhood,” she said. “It’s part of our personal history, too.”
She said she thought most of all of “the centuries of work, of craftsmanship, that went into that building ... The men who worked on it down the years”.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, cancelled a planned speech to the nation in light of the “terrible fire”, according to an official at the president’s Élysée office.
He tweeted that his thoughts were with “all Catholics and all French people”. “Like all our countrymen, I’m sad tonight to see this part of us burn.” The president attended the scene at the Île de la Cité on Monday evening, where he met senior police officers.
France 2 television reported that police were treating the incident as an accident. The Paris prosecutor’s office said it had started an inquiry into the fire.
Notre Dame, which attracts millions of tourists every year, was in the midst of renovations, with some sections under scaffolding, and bronze statues were removed last week for works.
ParisParis
FranceFrance
EuropeEurope
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content