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Notre-Dame fire

Coordinates: 48°51′11″N 2°20′59″E / 48.8530°N 2.3498°E / 48.8530; 2.3498
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Notre-Dame de Paris fire
Notre-Dame Cathedral is located in Paris
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Notre-Dame Cathedral (Paris)
Date15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)
Time18:50 CEST (16:50 UTC)
Duration15 hours[1]
VenueNotre-Dame de Paris
LocationÎle de la Cité, Paris, France
Coordinates48°51′11″N 2°20′59″E / 48.8530°N 2.3498°E / 48.8530; 2.3498
CauseUnknown
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries3[2][3][4]
Property damage
  • Roof and spire destroyed;
  • windows, vaulted ceilings
and pipe organs damaged

On 15 April 2019, shortly before 18:50 CEST, a fire broke out in the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, causing significant damage to the building. The fire lasted more than 12 hours, but was fully extinguished the following day.[2] Fire crews remained to identify and extinguish residual fires.[5]

The cathedral's spire and roof collapsed, and considerable damage was sustained to the interior, upper walls, and windows of the church, as well as numerous works of art and the pipe organ.[3][6] The stone ceiling vault beneath the roof prevented most of the fire from falling into the interior of the cathedral below.

President Emmanuel Macron announced the launch of a national fundraising campaign to restore Notre-Dame.[7][8]

Background

Construction of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) began in the 12th century, using stonework for the walls and vault and wood for the main roofs and its spire. The flèche (spire) was rebuilt in the 19th century, in oak covered with lead; the original had been removed in 1786.[9] The cathedral was listed as part of the "Paris, Banks of the Seine" UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.[10]

In recent years, the cathedral had started to show significant wear, with some of the stonework crumbling. Philippe Villeneuve, architect-in-chief of Historic Monuments in France, stated in July 2017 that "pollution is the biggest culprit."[11] In 2014, the Ministry of Culture estimated the cost of the renovation work needed by the cathedral at €150 million.[12] The fire has been compared, in level of importance, to the 1992 Windsor Castle fire, and has raised questions about the safety of other similar structures.[13]

In 2016, the Archdiocese of Paris launched an appeal to raise €100 million over the following five to ten years to meet the costs of maintenance and restoration.[11] At the time of the fire, it was undergoing renovations on the spire, estimated to cost €6 million.[14][15] Steel scaffolding had been erected around the roofs. Stone, copper, and bronze statues, including statues of the twelve Apostles that surrounded the base of the spire, had been removed from the site days prior to the fire as part of the renovations.[16][17]

Fire

The cathedral was under renovation at the time of the fire

It is believed that the fire started in the cathedral's attic[2] around 18:50 CEST, near the end of the day, when the cathedral was open to tourists. A mass was scheduled around that time, between 18:15 and 19:00, and was in progress prior to the evacuation.[18][13]

According to those at the scene, the doors of the cathedral were abruptly closed on them as they tried to enter, and white smoke started spreading from the roof.[19] The smoke turned to black, indicating that timber was burning.[19] Police and other first-responders quickly evacuated the Île de la Cité, and the city closed access to the island.[19][20][21] People gathered on the banks of the Seine and at nearby buildings to watch.[19]

A spokesman for the Paris Fire Brigade announced that more than four hundred firefighters were engaged.[22][23][24] The possibility of aerial firefighting was discounted, as the weight of the water and the intensity of the drop at low altitude could have weakened the cathedral's structure.[25]

Damage

The collapse of the spire

Within an hour of flames being seen, the lead-clad timber roof of the cathedral, including its timber central spire, was engulfed,[26][27] causing it to collapse onto the masonry of the cathedral's ceiling vault.[28] Much of the timber structure that burned was the cathedral's "forest": wood from approximately 21 hectares (0.21 km2) of oak trees cut down for the construction of the cathedral in the 12th and 13th centuries. Approximately 210 tonnes (230 short tons) of lead sheet sat atop the timber framing to complete the cathedral's roof.[29] Melting lead posed a hazard to firefighters.[19]

There was fear that the collapsing timber roof would damage the stone vaulting that forms the ceiling of the cathedral and supports the walls from the inside (the flying buttresses support it from the outside). If the masonry vault had collapsed, the damage would have been significantly worse;[30][31] there were fears that the entire structure would be destroyed.[20] However, the vault mostly remained intact, and continued to support the flaming roof timbers after they collapsed, preventing most of the burning roof from falling into the cathedral's nave. Some holes in the vault were made by the falling timbers.[28]

  • Schematic transverse section, showing the triangular wooden roof framing (in yellow, above) and the curved masonry vault below.
    Schematic transverse section, showing the triangular wooden roof framing (in yellow, above) and the curved masonry vault below.
  • Curved masonry vaults, seen from below, in the church interior, before the fire.
    Curved masonry vaults, seen from below, in the church interior, before the fire.
  • The "forest", timber framing in the interior of the cathedral roof, before the fire. The top of the curved vault is below; a catwalk provides a flat walking surface.
    The "forest", timber framing in the interior of the cathedral roof, before the fire. The top of the curved vault is below; a catwalk provides a flat walking surface.
  • Triangular exterior form of the roof, before the fire.
    Triangular exterior form of the roof, before the fire.
  • Lead sheet roofing on the outside of the wood structure. Molten lead fell in the cathedral interior, creating a hazard for firefighters.
    Lead sheet roofing on the outside of the wood structure. Molten lead fell in the cathedral interior, creating a hazard for firefighters.

Around 23:15 CEST, an official with the Interior Ministry reported that the fire had weakened and that "both towers of the cathedral are safe."[27][32] The primary structure, including both of the towers, and one-third of the roof remain standing.[19] The north rose window was reported to remain intact.[33] Early pictures taken inside the cathedral after the fire showed that most of the stone vaulted ceiling remained in place, but sections had collapsed allowing flaming debris to fall through.[2][28] According to Culture Minister Franck Riester on Tuesday morning, the organ was damaged in the fire.[34] It is believed that none of the organ pipes collapsed, suggesting that it could be restored.[34] Some paintings appear to have not been damaged by fire, but by smoke.[34][13] These paintings are expected to be transported to the Louvre.[13]

Artwork, relics, and other antiques stored at the cathedral include a crown of thorns which some believe to be the one Jesus wore prior to his crucifixion, a purported piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, a much-rebuilt organ by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, stained glass windows, the Virgin of Paris statue of Mary and the baby Jesus, and bronze statues of the twelve Apostles.[35] Emergency responders have tried to save the art and religious artefacts kept in the cathedral. According to a spokesperson for the cathedral, some of the artwork had already been removed prior to the renovations, whilst most of the sacred relics were held in the cathedral's sacristy.[9] It is unknown whether those relics that were not removed will have survived the fire.[2] Other than the statues, which had been removed from the spire days before the fire for renovations, the first artefacts to be confirmed as rescued from the blaze were the crown of thorns and the Tunic of St. Louis.[36] As of 23:31 CEST, these are the only relics known to have been saved from the fire.[36][17]

Some lead holding stained glass windows together melted in the heat of the fire.[34][5] Paris police report that no one was killed,[3][2] but one firefighter and two police officers were injured.[37][2]

Investigation

Within hours, the Paris prosecutor's office had opened an investigation into the fire,[19] led by the Paris Region Judicial Police.[38] The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but it was being treated as accidental.[19] 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.[7][39][40]

Reactions

Eyewitness video

French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a major speech planned for the evening after news of the fire broke.[41] He had been due to give a televised address to outline measures he plans to take following nationwide public debates held in response to the yellow vests movement.[42] Multiple groups gathered in vigils for Notre-Dame.[43][44] The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, described the fire as "terrible".[45]

Medievalist Claude Gauvard claimed that not enough money had been spent on maintenance, saying: "The ongoing works finally got started – and it was high time, and perhaps even a little late. I went up to the foot of the spire (before the renovations began) and some of the brickwork was disjointed, held in place by a grate to prevent it falling."[46]

Numerous world, Catholic, and other religious leaders and governments expressed their sorrow and extended condolences to the French people and authorities, including the Vatican,[7] President of the European Council Donald Tusk,[47] Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel,[4] Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez,[48] Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau[49], Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May,[50][51] Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, President of Israel Reuven Rivlin,[52] King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,[53] President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping,[54] President of the United States Donald Trump,[55] President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev,[56] Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, King Mohammed VI of Morocco,[57] President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa,[58] Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres,[59] President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,[60] and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.[61][13]This event also gained a lot of condolences and trendings in the internet.

Fundraising effort

On the night of the fire, President Emmanuel Macron announced that the cathedral would be rebuilt, and an international fundraiser would be launched.[20][62]

The next day, French entrepreneur and billionaire François-Henri Pinault pledged €100 million from his family's investment company, Groupe Artémis.[8][63] Soon afterward, LVMH owner and billionaire Bernard Arnault and his family pledged another €200 million.[64] The Île-de-France region announced it would allocate €10 million, and the City of Paris declared it would make €50 million available.[65] Patrick Pouyanne, the CEO of Total, the French energy major, told Reuters the company would also donate €100 million.[66]

See also

References

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  10. ^ "Paris, Banks of the Seine". UNESCO. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
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  49. ^ Trudeau, Justin. "Absolutely heartbreaking to see the Notre-Dame Cathedral in flames. Canadians are thinking of our friends in France as you fight this devastating fire".
  50. ^ UK Prime Minister [@10DowningStreet] (15 April 2019). ""My thoughts are with the people of France tonight and with the emergency services who are fighting the terrible blaze at Notre-Dame cathedral." – PM @Theresa_May" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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