'Terrible' fire engulfs 850-year-old Notre Dame cathedral in Paris as flames erupt from the roof and massive plume of smoke sweeps across the city

evening.

Pictures posted on social media showed enormous plumes of smoke billowing into the city's skyline and flames engulfing large sections of the historic building.

According to French newspaper Le Monde, the fire broke out in the attic of the monument before spreading across the roof.

A spokesperson for the cathedral said the blaze was first reported at 5.50pm (GMT) and the building was evacuated soon after.

Officials in Paris said the fire could be linked to restoration works as the peak of the church is currently undergoing a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says firefighters are trying to contain a 'terrible fire' at the city's Notre Cathedral.

Hidalgo urged residents of the French capital to stay away from the security perimeter around the Gothic-style church. The mayor says city officials are in touch with Roman Catholic diocese in Paris.

The cathedral is one the finest example of French Gothic architecture in Europe, and one of the most visited buildings in the world.

Notre Dame - which means 'Our Lady' - was build in 1160 and completed by 1260, and has been modified on a number of occasions throughout the century.

It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, and is visited by some 12million people every year.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6925015/Fire-breaks-historic-Notre-Dame-cathedral-Paris.html

Yes, it's on the news right now. Tragic...but at least they'll get new furniture.

I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’ve been there 3 times and it was magnificent. Such a terrible loss. I only hope they can save parts of it without loss of life. The Rose Window alone makes me weep.

The Spire has fallen.

They’re saying everything above the vaulted ceiling from 13th-19th century is gone.

Just tragic.

it brings joy to my heart to know that god is a brexiteer and punishing france for their treatment of britain over brexit

little macron should have let us go when he had the chance

burn mother fuckers!!!!!!!

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire
We don't need no water let the motherfucker burn
Burn motherfucker burn

Cass wrote:I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’ve been there 3 times and it was magnificent. Such a terrible loss. I only hope they can save parts of it without loss of life. The Rose Window alone makes me weep.

It's been suggested that renovation caused the accident. I wouldn't want to be the person who knocked over that bucket of turps! Could be deliberate? Seems odd that renovation caused that much damage?

HoratioTarr wrote:

Cass wrote:I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’ve been there 3 times and it was magnificent. Such a terrible loss. I only hope they can save parts of it without loss of life. The Rose Window alone makes me weep.

It's been suggested that renovation caused the accident.  I wouldn't want to be the person who knocked over that bucket of turps!   Could be deliberate?   Seems odd that renovation caused that much damage?

I’m sure it was an accident. Look at what happened to Windsor Castle when an arc lamp burned some curtains. In a very old building with lots of renovations materials around it wouldn’t take long at all to get out of control.

Windsor, as beautiful and historical as it is, didn't have the artwork of Notre Dame.

Cass wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

It's been suggested that renovation caused the accident.  I wouldn't want to be the person who knocked over that bucket of turps!   Could be deliberate?   Seems odd that renovation caused that much damage?

I’m sure it was an accident. Look at what happened to Windsor Castle when an arc lamp burned some curtains. In a very old building with lots of renovations materials around it wouldn’t take long at all to get out of control.

Yellow vester's?

I hope Quasimodo got out OK.

Probably an accident due to renovations - all that super dry wood probably being exposed to the elements after centuries and any kind of flame sun on a bottle or the like.
Wasn't Joan Collins recent fire started by sun on a mirror, seems improbable to start a blaze in your curtains this way but who knows.
Anyway its terrible, I've never been there only seen it on tv but for such a beautiful and iconic building, its awful.
There does seem to be a lot of it about in the lately Windsor Castle, York Cathedral, a museum in Scotland recently.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Cass wrote:

I’m sure it was an accident. Look at what happened to Windsor Castle when an arc lamp burned some curtains. In a very old building with lots of renovations materials around it wouldn’t take long at all to get out of control.

Yellow vester's?

Highly unlikely. They would lose all their support instantly and they know it.

Police are treating it as an accident. Probably due to what I mentioned above.

Reports saying they may not be able to save any of it.

Vintage wrote:Probably an accident due to renovations - all that super dry wood probably being exposed to the elements after centuries and any kind of flame sun on a bottle or the like.
Wasn't Joan Collins recent fire started by sun on a mirror, seems improbable to start a blaze in your curtains this way but who knows.
Anyway its terrible, I've never been there only seen it on tv but for such a beautiful and iconic building, its awful.
There does seem to be a lot of it about in the lately Windsor Castle, York Cathedral, a museum in Scotland recently.  

Windsor was in 1992. In Scotland it was the Art School home of so much of Rennie MacKintosh’s work. And they had a previous damaging fire just recently as well. It’s so sad

There may be hope of saving some of it according to latest reports. But they estimate another 4-5 hours to tackle the blaze and hotspots could flare up again. So far the towers are ok and the main structure of the cathedral. One firefighter has been taken to hospital.

Hopefully they have managed to save some of the art and artifacts.

Cass wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

Yellow vester's?

Highly unlikely. They would lose all their support instantly and they know it.

Police are treating it as an accident. Probably due to what I mentioned above.

Reports saying they may not be able to save any of it.

Apparently, the stone structure has been saved.   But all the woodwork and stained glass gone.  It was so unbelievably beautiful, it's heart breaking.

You really have to be up close an personal with the level of stunning craftmanship in and on that place.  I visited a few years ago and it was truly breathtaking.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Cass wrote:

Highly unlikely. They would lose all their support instantly and they know it.

Police are treating it as an accident. Probably due to what I mentioned above.

Reports saying they may not be able to save any of it.

Apparently, the stone structure has been saved.   But all the woodwork and stained glass gone.  It was so unbelievably beautiful, it's heart breaking.

You really have to be up close an personal with the level of stunning craftmanship in and on that place.  I visited a few years ago and it was truly breathtaking.

I agree. Going up to the terrace between the towers and you could see so much intricate details. Didn’t do my vertigo any good but I’m so thankful now that I did it.

I hope that as much as possible can be saved, York minster is back to its wonderful self, all those people working to bring it back with the same devotion as the original builders but with perhaps a different reason, as with all these beautiful buildings, they are wonders of architecture and wonderful to behold but imagine how the people felt that probably spent their entire working lives building and beautifying these places for the glory of god, giving their heart and souls and expertise for this, years of human endeavour to raise up these churches and cathedrals.

HT wrote:Apparently, the stone structure has been saved. But all the woodwork and stained glass gone. It was so unbelievably beautiful, it's heart breaking.

Apparently, all but one (south) of the Rose windows have been saved.

Took two hundred years to build it ! Cass, have you read Ken Follett's books on Church Building ? [Fiction"

Vintage wrote:I hope that as much as possible can be saved, York minster is back to its wonderful self, all those people working to bring it back with the same devotion as the original builders but with perhaps a different reason, as with all these beautiful buildings, they are wonders of architecture and wonderful to behold but imagine how the people felt that probably spent their entire working lives building and beautifying these places for the glory of god, giving their heart and souls and expertise for this, years of human endeavour to raise up these churches and cathedrals.

All for the sake of a twisted creation myth and the worship of a miserable death cult.

Some well off people have already given 400 million euro's towards rebuilding. Ask 'em for a few quid to help the homeless and they go deaf !

I never went in (hate queue's) but I saw it from the outside whilst sailing along the Seine....it was a truly beautiful work of art.

I doubt any workers today have the level of craftmanship to restore it to it's former glory.

700 million euros so far from rich individuals and companies to rebuild...and yet......ask them for 1 cent in the euro extra tax to help provide for the poor and needy and they are off to live in Russia or wherever. Clearly a "house of god" is more important than "the people of god"...Christianity at its hypocritical best.....and hardly the lesson Jesus taught......

nicko wrote:Took two hundred years to build it !  Cass, have you read Ken Follett's books on Church Building ?   [Fiction"

No. Any good? I’m not much into fiction but I know Follett is a good writer.

Cheers! I will add them to my ever growing list. Here’s a look at what I currently have. Yes I know, I’m bonkers!

Victorismyhero wrote:700 million euros so far from rich individuals and companies to rebuild...and yet......ask them for 1 cent in the euro extra tax to help provide for the poor and needy and they are off to live in Russia or wherever. Clearly a "house of god" is more important than "the people of god"...Christianity at its hypocritical best.....and hardly the lesson Jesus taught......

How do you know that they don’t already give to the poor and needy? Do we all have to now publicly show how much we contribute to certain charities in order to be perceived as a decent human being?

Pinault has a residence in Paris and his office is based there so...I don’t know about the others.

As to your other comment above. I agree on a creation myth and the harm it has done to people over millennia, but isn’t it good that something beautiful that can be shared came out of it? That doesn’t excuse what’s gone before but you could apply that criteria to pretty much everything.

Victorismyhero wrote:

Vintage wrote:I hope that as much as possible can be saved, York minster is back to its wonderful self, all those people working to bring it back with the same devotion as the original builders but with perhaps a different reason, as with all these beautiful buildings, they are wonders of architecture and wonderful to behold but imagine how the people felt that probably spent their entire working lives building and beautifying these places for the glory of god, giving their heart and souls and expertise for this, years of human endeavour to raise up these churches and cathedrals.

All for the sake of a twisted creation myth and the worship of a miserable death cult.

God told Moses, you shall have no idol before me. At least Muslims still abide by that rule. The Roman Church went crazy with their statuary and icon making, violating God's will.

Cass wrote:

Victorismyhero wrote:700 million euros so far from rich individuals and companies to rebuild...and yet......ask them for 1 cent in the euro extra tax to help provide for the poor and needy and they are off to live in Russia or wherever. Clearly a "house of god" is more important than "the people of god"...Christianity at its hypocritical best.....and hardly the lesson Jesus taught......

How do you know that they don’t already give to the poor and needy? Do we all have to now publicly show how much we contribute to certain charities in order to be perceived as a decent human being?

Pinault has a residence in Paris and his office is based there so...I don’t know about the others.

As to your other comment above. I agree on a creation myth and the harm it has done to people over millennia, but isn’t it good that something beautiful that can be shared came out of it? That doesn’t excuse what’s gone before but you could apply that criteria to pretty much everything.

charities are NOT the way to provide for the poor and needy, the state via benefits and taxation should be doing that......the problem with charities is 1 they tend to be specific and 2 they have costs such that only a %age of what they collect actually goes where it should in some cases a very small %age.....

Victorismyhero wrote:

Cass wrote:

How do you know that they don’t already give to the poor and needy? Do we all have to now publicly show how much we contribute to certain charities in order to be perceived as a decent human being?

Pinault has a residence in Paris and his office is based there so...I don’t know about the others.

As to your other comment above. I agree on a creation myth and the harm it has done to people over millennia, but isn’t it good that something beautiful that can be shared came out of it? That doesn’t excuse what’s gone before but you could apply that criteria to pretty much everything.

charities are NOT  the way to provide for the poor and needy, the state via benefits and taxation should be doing that......the problem with charities is 1 they tend to be specific and 2 they have costs such that only a %age of what they collect actually goes where it should  in some cases a very small %age.....

+ 10...kudos for stating that. It was Redneck, with his libertarian philosophy, that also said that philanthropy might replace government support. Philanthropy amounts of a fraction of a per cent of what governments must spend in order to support the needy and sick.

Victorismyhero wrote:

Cass wrote:

How do you know that they don’t already give to the poor and needy? Do we all have to now publicly show how much we contribute to certain charities in order to be perceived as a decent human being?

Pinault has a residence in Paris and his office is based there so...I don’t know about the others.

As to your other comment above. I agree on a creation myth and the harm it has done to people over millennia, but isn’t it good that something beautiful that can be shared came out of it? That doesn’t excuse what’s gone before but you could apply that criteria to pretty much everything.

charities are NOT  the way to provide for the poor and needy, the state via benefits and taxation should be doing that......the problem with charities is 1 they tend to be specific and 2 they have costs such that only a %age of what they collect actually goes where it should  in some cases a very small %age.....

I agree Vic but charities can also help fill a gap.  The gap is only going to become bigger. In both cases far too much money goes on red tape instead of to those who truly need it. But what is the answe? That’s the tricky part.

I particularly dislike charities that have strings attached. Makes my blood boil as it negates the whole definition of charity and we tend to steer clear.

I fund snacks at my storytime and throughout the year. It may not be much but it’s a help to those who get it and if I can help one person at least then that’s a start.

Cass, get "Fall of Giants", and "Winter of The World", can't remember what order they came in, there's one or two others as well. Worth reading !

Cass wrote:I agree Vic but charities can also help fill a gap. The gap is only going to become bigger.

Well, it's a step in the right direction. But how much is the gap going to be filled by 1/100th of a percent?

It's unrealistic to even consider philanthropy among the institutions that answer to the problem.