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On the evening of April 15th, large parts of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris were engulfed in flames.
The fire in the 850-year-old church was contained, but the iconic spire fell during the hours it took to quench the flames. The stone construction of the cathedral was reportedly saved, as well as the main works of art inside the building.
The fire took place on the first day of “Holy Week,” which on Sunday, April 21st will end in Easter.
On the morning of April 16th, the fire service praised the the cooperation of “different services” of the state, working together over nine hours to extinguish the fire.
1/2 #Intervention #NotreDame : la structure de la cathédrale est sauvée et les principales œuvres d’art ont été sauvegardées, grâce à l'action combinée des différents services de l'État engagés à nos côtés. pic.twitter.com/0GJZKAdYdM
— Pompiers de Paris (@PompiersParis) April 16, 2019
“The structure of the cathedral is saved and the main works of art have been put somewhere safe, thanks to the combined action of the different services of the State working together.”
2/2 Après plus de 9h de combats acharnés, près de 400 pompiers de Paris sont venus à bout de l’effroyable l’incendie. 2 policiers et un sapeur-pompier ont été légèrement blessés. pic.twitter.com/re9ZR0KB3W
— Pompiers de Paris (@PompiersParis) April 16, 2019
“After more than 9 hours of fierce fighting, nearly 400 firefighters from Paris extinguished the appalling fire. 2 policemen and a firefighter were slightly injured.”
While the operations to bring the fire under control were on-going a group of Parisians were walking along the Seine, close to the cathedral and singing hymns.
I heard this outside of my window and found this. Notre Dame is being serenaded. Honestly, it’s more moving than I could describe. pic.twitter.com/3AZRkFh1yO
— Jojo ? (@imperiumsilver) April 15, 2019
Laurent Nunez, French Secretary of State to the Ministry of Interior told reporters on the morning of April 16th that the fire which devastated Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral was “under control” but has not been completely extinguished.
“There are still small outbreaks, the cooling off process is still underway, new outbreaks were reported and contained right away,” he said.
“The risk of fire is now ruled out; now it’s about the building, know how the structure will resist to this serious fire last night.”
He also said that experts from the French Architectural Review board were meeting “to try and determine if the structure is stable and if the firemen can venture inside and continue their mission.”
The Paris Prosecutor’s office said that investigators had started to gather testimonies from works who’d been working on Notre Dame.
Paris Prosecutor’s office tells @NBCNews investigators have started to hear testimonies from construction workers who’d been working on Notre Dame.
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) April 16, 2019
US President Donald Trump suggested extinguishing the fire by using flying water tankers. And expressed US support for France.
So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2019
French Civil Security services tweeted in English in an obvious response to Trump’s suggestion.
Hundreds of firemen of the Paris Fire Brigade are doing everything they can to bring the terrible #NotreDame fire under control. All means are being used, except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral.
— Sécurité Civile Fr (@SecCivileFrance) April 15, 2019
French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild Notre-Dame in central Paris. Macron cancelled a major televised policy speech he was due to give in the evening and headed to the scene in person.
LIVE | Déclaration depuis le parvis de #NotreDame.https://t.co/Bs2p4cpftB
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 15, 2019
Notre-Dame is aflame. Great emotion for the whole nation. Our thoughts go out to all Catholics and to the French people. Like all of my fellow citizens, I am sad to see this part of us burn tonight. https://t.co/27CrJgJkJb
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 15, 2019
A mechanism to donate for the restoration of the cathedral will be launched and it will be open for everybody, regardless if they’re from France or otherwise.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he felt a “sadness beyond words” but added the fire services “were still fighting… heroically, to save what can be saved.”
The Vatican expressed its “incredulity” and “sadness”, expressing ” our closeness with French Catholics and with the Parisian population.”
Japan’s government expressed sympathy and said it would consider sending support to the French government. “Its damage is a loss to the world and our hearts ache,” said Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary.
Former US President Barack Obama also expressed his support over Twitter.
Notre Dame is one of the world’s great treasures, and we’re thinking of the people of France in your time of grief. It’s in our nature to mourn when we see history lost – but it’s also in our nature to rebuild for tomorrow, as strong as we can. pic.twitter.com/SpMEvv1BzB
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 15, 2019
Former US First Lady Michelle Obama did so, too.
The majesty of Notre Dame—the history, artistry, and spirituality—took our breath away, lifting us to a higher understanding of who we are and who we can be. Being here in Paris tonight, my heart aches with the people of France. Yet I know that Notre Dame will soon awe us again. https://t.co/p1mIDMbwe1
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) April 15, 2019
Francois-Henri Pinault, the chairman and chief executive officer of Gucci owner Kering SA, and his father, Francois Pinault, will donate 100 million euros from their Artemis investment company to rebuild the cathedral.
“This tragedy is striking all the French people, and beyond that, all those attached to spiritual values,” Francois-Henri Pinault, 56, said in the statement. “Faced with this tragedy, everyone wishes to give life back to this jewel of our heritage as soon as possible.”
The Ile-de-France regional government around Paris will release 10 million euros in emergency aid to the archdiocese for initial rebuilding work, Valerie Pecresse, the region’s elected head, said in an interview on Radio Classique.
Bernard Arnault, the main shareholder of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, and his family will donate money “dedicated to the construction of this architectural work, which makes up part of the history of France.”
“LVMH Group will put at the disposal of the state all of its teams — creative, architectural, financial — to help on the one hand with the long construction work, and on the other hand with the fundraising effort,” a statement said.
Amazing pictures by #AFP photographers showing Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on fire.
Francois Guillot & @gvanderhasselt pic.twitter.com/iG5eqIMXOX— AFP Photo (@AFPphoto) April 16, 2019
The Cathedral of Notre Dame attracts approximately 13 million visitors per year. Its name means Our Lady and is the seat of the archbishop of Paris.
Construction began in 1163, during the reign of King Louis VII and was completed in 1345.
It was damaged and neglected in the 1790s, during the French Revolution.
Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, translated in English as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” was a powerful tool in informing the public of the monument’s decrepit state.
Due to the awareness caused by the book, the cathedral was heavily renovated between 1844 and 1864.
Henry VI of England was made king of France inside Notre-Dame in 1431.
Napoleon Bonaparte, who also sought to save the storied cathedral, was crowned emperor there in 1804.
In 1909, Joan of Arc, who had helped France battle the English and was burned at the stake centuries earlier, was beatified in the cathedral by Pope Pius X.
The cathedral had also caught fire previously. In the 13th century fire damaged the older edifice, which was replaced by the current one. New work on the cathedral had to be carried out between 1230 and 1240.
Notre Dame Cathedral before the fire. Click to see full-size image
Separately, YouTube’s algorithm designed to fight disinformation linked the fire at the cathedral with the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“The company blamed the mixup on its algorithms. It removed the links on all Notre Dame fire posts after the issue was flagged.
A label with a paragraph pulled from the Encyclopedia Britannica provided background for the 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks under multiple YouTube livestreams of the fire, including those posted by NBC News, CBS News, and France 24.”
In a statement to CNN Business, a YouTube spokesperson said it was aware and looking into the issue.
“These panels are triggered algorithmically and our systems sometimes make the wrong call. We are disabling these panels for live streams related to the fire,” the spokesperson said.
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Jews will not be happy.
Jews don’t dance, they slither.
When that happened the Moroccans in The Netherlands came out in force as well, dancing and singing. The police over here soon sorted them out.
Did Quasimodo make it out alive? I have been checking all French TV channels and there is no mention of him. Is this because he fully supported the yellow vest uprising? The powers that be are trying to deflect attention away from the possible overthrow of their pompous little toad, sorry that should be frog, Macron. And, they decided to put out that fire by starting this one in Notre Damn…. Typical Elite response. Sorry ‘b out my grammar and spelling today, I am icy with rage and feel I am going to combust “Viva la Commune”
Sanctuary! lol Somebody must have uttered the commanded Dracarys!
It will be very difficult and possible impossible to rebuild it they way it was originally built, the large trees required for the massive beams simply don’t exist anymore, we have cut them all down.
Irreverent. It shall rebuilt, that is all that matters.