Notre-Dame fire

A fire broke out at Notre Dame de Paris at around 18:50 local time on 15 April 2019. Notre Dame is the Roman-Catholic cathedral of Paris. It is in the center of the city. The fire made the roof and main spire fall. The building's vaulted stone ceiling contained the burning roof as it collapsed, preventing worse damage to the interior.

Around 23:00 local time, the spokesperson of the Paris firefighters said that the structure would probably be saved. This includes the north tower; at times, it was feared that the north tower would also be affected.

Over 400 people helped fight the fire. They used 18 specially built fire hoses to put water on the flames. Two police officers were injured, and one firefighter was critically wounded, who was treated in a nearby hospital.

 Cause 
At the time the fire was being fought, its cause was not known, but it was being treated as an accident. The investigation most strongly suspected a case of "accidental destruction by fire", but had not ruled anything out, saying it was too early to know the cause of the fire. It is not yet known if renovation work contributed to the fire. There have been other cases where renovation-related fires smoulder for hours unseen before breaking out. The firm Le Bras Frères that was carrying out the renovations stated they had followed procedure, and would co-operate fully with the investigation. They also stated that none of their personnel were on site at the time the fire broke out.

 Overview of damage 
 Spire totally destroyed
 Two thirds of the roof destroyed; this includes 13000 oaks from the time the cathedral was built (12th to 14th century). This is about 21 hectares of forest.
 Some domes affected
 The statues on the roof were not present, as they were undergoing renovation
 Relics were saved
 About 90 to 95 percent of the artworks on display in the cathedral were saved
 Three large holes in the ceiling
 Several rows of pews crushed by falling debris
 Surrounding area contaminated with lead from the roof

The equivalent of 1 billion pounds was later raised online for restoration.

References

Category:2019 fires
Category:2019 disasters in Europe
Category:2010s fires in Europe
Category:2010s in Paris
Category:April 2019 events
Category:Building and structure fires in Europe