Notre Dame Cathedral de Paris in a Roaring Blaze

 

INN/Gwalior, @infodeaofficial

A massive fire consumed Notre-Dame Cathedral on Monday, gutting the roof of the Paris landmark, blanketing the sky with black smoke and brought chill and a stand still to the world. Though firefighters saved the main bell towers and outer walls from collapsing before bringing the blaze under control. Flames that began in the early evening burst rapidly through the roof of the eight centuries old cathedral and engulfed the spire, which toppled quickly, followed by the entire roof. The fire, after burning for about 8 hours, was largely extinguished by 0300 CET on Tuesday.

Earlier, in addition to battling the prevention of one of the main bell towers from collapsing, firefighters tried to rescue religious relics and priceless artwork. One firefighter was seriously injured and  luckily, it’s the only reported casualty. “The worst has been avoided, even if the battle has not been totally won yet,” French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at the scene shortly before midnight, as firefighters worked to further cool some of the interior structures still at risk of collapsing.

The fire destroyed the roof of the 850 year old UNESCO world heritage landmark, whose spectacular Gothic spire collapsed as orange flames and clouds of grey smoke billowed into the sky. Around 400 firefighters battled into the night to control the flames, declaring in the early hours of Tuesday that the fire was under control, around nine hours after it broke out.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately cleared, but the cathedral had been undergoing intense restoration work which the fire service said could be linked to the blaze. French prosecutors said it was being currently being treated as accident. Historians expressed incredulity at the collapse of a building that has been a symbol of France for almost a millennium. “If Paris is the Eiffel Tower then France is Notre Dame. It’s the entire culture, entire history of France incarnated in this monument,” Bernard Lecomte, a writer and specialist in religious history told media that has been a symbol of France for almost a millennium.

The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, said at the scene that some of many artworks that were in the cathedral had been rescued and were being put in safe storage. The cathedral, which dates to the 12th century, features in Victor Hugo’s classic novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.” It is a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts millions of tourists every year. It is a focal point for French Roman Catholics who like Christians around the world are celebrating Holy Week, marking the death and resurrection of Jesus.

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