Fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris

[coubob]

PARIS — A fire broke out at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris on Monday evening, according to the French authorities and witnesses.

André Finot, a spokesman for the cathedral, said in a telephone interview that the spire of the cathedral had caught fire. The cause of the fire remained unknown.

The fire alarm went off around 6:30 p.m., Mr. Finot said, adding that the cathedral had been evacuated.

Video filmed by onlookers and shared on social media showed smoke and flames billowing from the top of the cathedral, engulfing scaffolding and the spire.

Firefighters were on the scene, said Mr. Finot, who was about 70 feet away from the cathedral.

The cathedral, one of Paris’s most famous landmarks, is currently undergoing renovation work, and several statues were lifted by crane from the spire last week.

“A terrible fire is taking place at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame,” Mayor Anne Hidalgo of Paris said in a tweet, adding that firefighters were trying to bring the flames under control. “I ask everyone to respect the security boundaries.”

Fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris

 

[Toroid]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wuE7AaJhp8

 

[wwkirk]

What a tragedy! How could something like this happen?

 

[Standingstones]

Repairs were being done on the spire. I would start there looking for clues.

 

[wwkirk]

Repairs were being done on the spire. I would start there looking for clues.

If carelessness is the cause, calling it a shame would be an understatement.

 

[Toroid]

Considering the way churches and Christians are being targeted globally it may not me an accidental fire.

 

[nivek]

'The inferno cannot be stopped': Fire chiefs say blaze ravaging Notre Dame cathedral is out of control after spire COLLAPSES and the entire roof of the stunning 850-year-old building burns to ashes

• Officials in Paris said a large operation had been launched in an attempt to bring the raging fire under control
• Pictures from around the city posted on social media showed flames licking up Notre Dame's famous spire
• The fire was first reported at 5.50pm (GMT) on Monday and the building was evacuated soon afterwards
• Authorities say there were no deaths from the fire although declined to comment on the number of injuries

 

[Toroid]

That top view image shows it has been completely gutted. Imagine the time and money it will take to rebuild. The article said it was made with 1,300 trees and was nicknamed the Forest.
Google Maps

 

[pigfarmer]

The article said it was made with 1,300 trees and was nicknamed the Forest.

 

[Shadowprophet]

Damn, Are they going to try to restore it? this is awful.

 

[pigfarmer]

The paper this morning said that they were able to preserve a number of antiquities, including the crown of thorns. Also that a number of pews and part of the nave survived.

 

[nivek]

the crown of thorns.

I had no idea this existed as a relic today, is it the real thing off Christ's head or so claimed?...

...

 

[nivek]

Coincidence?...

Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque Fire Burns at the Same Time As Flames Engulf Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

A fire broke out at the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem just as flames ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Footage showing smoke and fire emerging from the roof of a structure known as the Marwani Prayer Room, or Solomon's Stables, could be seen on social media. The Palestine News Agency, the official outlet of the Palestinian National Authority, cited a guard as saying Monday that "the fire broke out in the guard's room outside the roof of the Marwani Prayer Room, and the fire brigade of the Islamic Waqf handled the matter successfully."

No injuries or damage was reported during the short blaze.

News of the incident at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam and central to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, was largely overshadowed by a much larger blaze engulfing the Notre Dame Cathedral at the same time. There was no evidence of any link between the two fires.

.

 

[nivek]

Then we have this report:

Vandalism, arson, desecration – Catholic churches targeted by Muslims across France

While the world watched in horror the devastation caused by the savage blaze at Paris’ historic Notre Dame Cathedral, the fire is only the latest in a series of attacks that have targeted Catholic churches across France.

Some of the attacks occurred alongside the desecration of sacred objects and acts of vandalism.

In one incident, a cross of human excrement was smeared on the wall of the Notre Dame des Enfants in Nimes. The Muslim vandals also looted the church and spread consecrated wafers in the garbage.

The same month, the altar at Saint-Alain Cathedral in Lavaur was set on fire, while statues and crosses were smashed throughout the premises. Two Muslim teenagers were later arrested in relation to the attack.

In another incident on February 4, a statue of the Virgin Mary was found smashed on the ground at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Houilles, Yvelines. Just days later, the Eucharist was scattered and the altar cloth soiled at Church of Notre Dame de Dijon.

On February 10, St Nicolas in Houilles was subjected to another attack six days after the first mindless act of vandalism.

A 35-year-old Muslim vandal later confessed to committing the act to police. It is unclear if the attacks are related, but police investigations into the wave of attacks are ongoing.

.

 

[nivek]

She's safe in our hands! Young construction boss, 32, at center of Notre Dame fire probe boasted about his firm's ability to PROTECT historic sites as he won $7M contract to repair its spire



The construction boss whose firm was renovating Notre Dame before the fire broke out has previously boasted about his firm's ability to protect historic sites, DailyMail.com can reveal. Thirty-two-year-old Julien Le Bras (right) declared last year: 'Our first thought is to protect the values of historical buildings, it's in our DNA.'

His company, Le Bras Freres, a small company known as the 'Cathedral Restorers', had won the $7million contract to repair the spire of the Paris landmark. Today craftsmen from the company were being questioned by investigators after the spire came crashing down in Monday night's horrific blaze. Investigators believe the devastating blaze started in the roof cavity below the spire where the work, which included the use of electric tools, was being carried out. Mr le Bras told reporters at the scene: 'We want more than anyone for light to be shed on the origin of this drama.'

The first daylight pictures (main image) inside the wreckage of the Paris landmark today showed wreckage that has plunged hundreds of feet inside the cathedral and narrowly missed ancient statues. The 850-year-old church is exposed to the elements and the floor covered in charred debris. However the three 'irreplaceable' Rose Windows, which date to the 13th century and were last night feared to have melted or exploded, are all still believed to be intact.

.

 

[wwkirk]

She's safe in our hands! Young construction boss, 32, at center of Notre Dame fire probe boasted about his firm's ability to PROTECT historic sites as he won $7M contract to repair its spire



The construction boss whose firm was renovating Notre Dame before the fire broke out has previously boasted about his firm's ability to protect historic sites, DailyMail.com can reveal. Thirty-two-year-old Julien Le Bras (right) declared last year: 'Our first thought is to protect the values of historical buildings, it's in our DNA.'

His company, Le Bras Freres, a small company known as the 'Cathedral Restorers', had won the $7million contract to repair the spire of the Paris landmark. Today craftsmen from the company were being questioned by investigators after the spire came crashing down in Monday night's horrific blaze. Investigators believe the devastating blaze started in the roof cavity below the spire where the work, which included the use of electric tools, was being carried out. Mr le Bras told reporters at the scene: 'We want more than anyone for light to be shed on the origin of this drama.'

The first daylight pictures (main image) inside the wreckage of the Paris landmark today showed wreckage that has plunged hundreds of feet inside the cathedral and narrowly missed ancient statues. The 850-year-old church is exposed to the elements and the floor covered in charred debris. However the three 'irreplaceable' Rose Windows, which date to the 13th century and were last night feared to have melted or exploded, are all still believed to be intact.

.

Even if the firm is assessed a civil penalty, it will won't compensate for the historical and cultural loss.

 

[pigfarmer]

so claimed

It's a fancy doughnut housing thorns which came from , supposedly yes, that crown.
Like the Spear of Destiny (which is safely in Vienna, I think) which a Roman soldier purportedly used to pierce Jesus' side it's an ancient artifact that's been housed in an also now very old artifact that makes it difficult to see what the thing was is the first place.

 

[Toroid]

Notre Dame Cathedral blaze prompts nearly $1 billion in pledges

Paris -- After a fire that raged for at least 12 hours, Notre Dame Cathedral stood damaged but defiant Wednesday and the cross on the church's altar, though buried in debris, was almost shining, reports CBS News' Roxana Saberi.

Almost $1 billion has been raised to rebuild the iconic monument, the Associated Press reported, and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced an international competition for architects to rebuild the spire, according to the French news agency AFP.

Local newspaper Le Parisian reported that a fire alarm went off late Monday, but that a computer glitch indicated the flames were in a different location. The paper said the fire may have begun at the bottom of the spire and been caused by an electrical problem in the elevator.

Construction workers brought in a delivery of wooden planks and a large crane Wednesday morning as crews inspected the damage and worked to make sure that what had survived the fire was structurally sound.

Inside, church pews were still in place, Saberi reports. Artifacts that could be rescued had been taken to Paris City Hall.

"Paintings, chairs, objects and candle holders, it was absolutely extraordinary because it's a miracle what was saved here," Christophe Girard, Paris' deputy mayor, told CBS News.

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed as heroes the brave firefighters who risked their lives to salvage what cultural treasures they could. Late Tuesday, he vowed to rebuild the eight-centuries old cathedral within five years.

"It's heart-wrenching," architectural historian Tricia Meehan remarked to CBS News, but she said reconstruction could take decades.

"It would take a really long time because we're talking about hand labor," she said.

Experts told CBS News it could take 40 years to rebuild the cathedral using medieval methods and materials.

 

[Toroid]

I had no idea this existed as a relic today, is it the real thing off Christ's head or so claimed?...

...

Here's a brief history of the relic. Forging religious artifacts in the past would draw people an revenue into a region.
A History of Notre-Dame's Crown of Thorns Relic | Mysterious Universe

 

[nivek]

Mankind is destroying thousands of acres of rainforest every day with most of the population not giving it any consideration, but at the loss of an old building, utter despair and mourning...

...