Notre-Dame Cathedral: Firefighters Tackle Blaze In Paris

[6Foot2]

Link: Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris [bBC News]

 

A fire has broken out at the famous Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.

 

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, but officials say that it could be linked to renovation work.

 

Images on social media show plumes of smoke billowing into the air above the 850-year-old Gothic building.

 

Last year, the Catholic Church in France launched an urgent appeal for funds to save the cathedral, which was starting to crumble.

 

A major operation is under way to tackle the blaze, which broke out on Monday afternoon. An area surrounding the building in central Paris has been cleared, officials said.

 

Skip Twitter post by @BobLeCentristeEnd of Twitter post by @BobLeCentriste

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, described it as a "terrible fire" and urged people at the scene to respect the boundaries set up by fire crews in order to ensure that they remain safe.

 

 

Edit 2: The spire has fallen (~19:15)

Edited April 15, 2019 by 6Foot2
Add YouTube live video feed.

[elsiegee40]

This looks awful!

Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris

[6Foot2]

Link: The masterpieces of Notre-Dame

 

An inventory (of sorts) of items currently at risk of damage/loss.

[FishCustard]

Apparently the core stone structure was saved, but the roof and spire (which were wooden) burned/collapsed completely.

 

Not beyond the wit and will of man to replace, but it's such a shame to lose something like that. The building itself was completed in 1340-something(!) I think, although the spire was replaced in the 1840s after it had become rotten and unstable.

 

EDIT: A couple of French businessmen have pledged 200m Euros to the repair effort.

Edited April 16, 2019 by FishCustard

[6Foot2]

Firefighting expert, Donald Trump, shared his thoughts on the situation when the fire was still raging:

 

Link:

[Donald Trump Text Tweet]

 

Because repeatedly dumping huge quantities if water on top of an already fragile structure, that still held ancient artifacts at that time, was EXACTLY what was required in this situation.

 

[stevejp]

Isn't it strange that the whole world can see Trump for exactly what he is except his own citizens?

 

Aaaaand ... back on topic: really glad to see how much of the structure and the artefacts they've managed to save - a magnificent job by the fire-fighters, by all accounts.

[6Foot2]

Link: Bees living on Notre-Dame cathedral roof survive blaze [bBC News]

 

Notre-Dame's smallest residents have survived the devastating fire which destroyed most of the cathedral's roof and toppled its famous spire.

 

Some 200,000 bees living in hives on the roof were initially thought to have perished in the blaze.

 

However Nicolas Géant, the cathedral's beekeeper, has confirmed that the bees are alive and buzzing.

 

Mr Géant has looked after the cathedral's three beehives since 2013, when they were installed.

 

That was part of an initiative to boost bee numbers across Paris.

 

The hives sit on top of the sacristy by Notre-Dame's south side, around 30m (98 ft) below the main roof. As a result, Mr Géant says they remained untouched by the flames...

[6Foot2]

Link: Notre-Dame reconstruction challenging despite Macron’s vow to rebuild [Financial Times]

 

French architects overseeing the renovation of Notre-Dame cathedral have revealed the huge challenges they face and warn it is still unclear whether the Paris landmark that was devastated by fire in April can be saved completely.

 

Antoine-Marie Préaut, project manager at the Notre-Dame construction site, told the Financial Times that questions remained over the “stability” of the arches in the cathedral’s interior. He said workers had not been able to assess the damage because it was too dangerous to build scaffolding inside the structure until§ the flying buttresses that support exterior walls had been strengthened.

 

“Gothic buildings have two walls flanking a central nave. These walls are supported from the exterior by flying buttresses. If the arches inside are not solid enough there’s a risk of the building falling down,” Mr Préaut said, allowing a reporter in the site for the first time since the fire. He added: “The south-facing peak of the building is also at risk because of the collapse of the roof.”

 

The 13th century Gothic masterpiece in the centre of Paris, one of the most visited tourist sites in Europe, was engulfed in flames two months ago in a blaze that destroyed the cathedral’s lead-covered wooden roof and sent its spire crashing into the nave.

 

French tycoons and corporations rushed to contribute hundreds of millions of euros to the rebuilding effort but a debate has raged in France over whether the reconstruction should faithfully copy the largely medieval original...

[6Foot2]

Link: Notre-Dame came far closer to collapsing than people knew. This is how it was saved. [New York Times (Interactive)]

 

A baffling alert. A race to the wrong building. Notre-Dame still stands only because firefighters decided to risk everything, a New York Times reconstruction has found...

[6Foot2]

Link: Notre Dame fire: Fragile old lady of Paris waits for rescue [bBC News]

 

When the wind blows around Notre Dame these days, strange, whistling chimes fill the air. A ghostly harmony made by the gaping holes in the old medieval structure, left by the fire exactly a year ago.

 

For most of the past year, this quiet music was drowned out by the noises of construction work, the tourists and traffic around Notre Dame. But today this Gothic giant stands silent and empty.

 

The cranes hang awkward and frozen above its scaffolding, the usual flow of tourists queuing for selfies outside the freshly-built hoarding has gone.

 

The restrictions in place to deal with coronavirus have meant that all restoration work here has stopped.

 

'Alone, but not abandoned'

 

"Notre Dame is an 850-year-old lady," the rector of Notre Dame, Patrick Chauvet, told me. "She's an injured, old lady."

 

"And for all the elderly, the injured, those in quarantine, or isolated in retirement homes, I think there's a symbolic link. There's no-one around Notre Dame here either; she's has been left alone, but not abandoned."

 

In the late afternoon of 15 April 2019, Monseigneur Chauvet was enjoying a drink at a nearby cafe when smoke began rising from the spire of Notre Dame.

 

He ran towards the building he knows so well.

 

The fire spread quickly, blazing through the mass of medieval rafters - known as "the forest" - and bringing down the iconic spire.

 

For a few critical hours, firefighters warned the French president that Notre Dame might not be saved.

 

One year on, wooden buttresses have appeared on the outside walls, and a vast web of new scaffolding is going up around the building...

[stevejp]

Link: Notre Dame fire: Fragile old lady of Paris waits for rescue [bBC News]

 

Documentary on BBC4 this evening at 9.00, if anyone’s interested.

[stevejp]

Wow! Can’t remember the last time I watched such a fascinating documentary! Did anyone else watch?

[elsiegee40]

Will be watching it on iPlayer. Had a family games night. (I won Frustration:D)

[stevejp]

Will be watching it on iPlayer. Had a family games night. (I won Frustration:D)

 

In that case I won’t spoil it for you!

[mavhc]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hbdq

[hardtailstar]

For a moment I thought it was on fire again then realised the date!

[6Foot2]

Link: France begins to dismantle Notre-Dame scaffolding [France24.com]

 

The spire should be entirely visible by the time the Olympic Summer Games open in the French capital on July 26, it said.

 

"The dismantling of the scaffolding has started and will continue over the coming months," the restoration authority, Etablissement Public, told AFP.

 

The scaffolding reached 100 metres (330 feet) in height, weighed 600 tonnes and contained 70,000 metal parts.

 

The spire has been covered in lead, a material that has caused much debate because of its potential toxicity.

 

In December, the cathedral regained its great cross, and got a new golden rooster to replace the old one that was destroyed in the April 15, 2019 fire.

 

Initially, President Emmanuel Macron promised the UNESCO-listed building would be fully restored by the time the Games open, but the date has since been pushed back to December this year after restoration work hit several snags.

 

Authorities have still not determined the cause of the fire, although they believe it was started accidentally.

 

Annual visitor numbers are expected to rise to 14 million after the cathedral's reopening, from 12 million before the disaster.

 

[6Foot2]

Link: Notre-Dame: Paris's Gothic jewel to reopen five years after fire - BBC News

 

The world gets a first look inside a resplendent new Notre-Dame on Friday, as France's President Emmanuel Macron conducts a televised tour to mark the cathedral's imminent re-opening.

 

Five-and-a-half years after the devastating fire of 2019, Paris's Gothic jewel has been rescued, renovated and refurbished - offering visitors what promises to be a breathtaking visual treat.

 

The president - accompanied by his wife Brigitte and Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich - are kicking off a programme of ceremonies that culminates with an official "entry" into the cathedral on 7 December and the first Catholic mass the next day.

 

After being shown highlights of the building’s €700m (£582m) renovation - including the massive roof timbers that replace the medieval frame consumed in the fire - he will give a speech of thanks to around 1,300 craftsmen and women gathered in the nave.

 

Notre-Dame's re-vamped interior has been kept a closely-guarded secret - with only a few images released over the years marking the progress of the renovation work.

 

But people who have been inside recently say the experience is awe-inspiring, the cathedral lifted by a new clarity and brightness that mark a sharp contrast with the pervading gloom of before.

 

"The word that will best capture the day is 'splendour'," said an insider of the Elysée closely involved with the restoration.

 

"People will discover the splendour of the cut stone, [which is] of an immaculate whiteness such as has not been seen in the cathedral maybe for centuries."

 

On the evening of 15 April 2019, viewers around the world watched aghast as live pictures were broadcast of orange flames spreading along the roof of the cathedral, and then - at the peak of the conflagration - of the 19th Century spire crashing to the ground.

 

The cathedral - whose structure was already a cause for concern before the inferno - was undergoing external renovation at the time. Among the theories for the cause of the fire are a cigarette left by a workman, or an electrical fault.

 

Some 600 firefighters battled the flames for 15 hours.

 

At one point, it was feared that the eight bells in the north tower were at risk of falling, which would have brought the tower itself down, and possibly much of the cathedral walls.

 

In the end the structure was saved.

 

What was destroyed were the spire, the wooden roof beams (known as the "forest"), and the stone vaulting over the centre of the transept and part of the nave.

 

There was also much damage from falling wood and masonry, and from water from firehoses.

 

Thankfully what was saved made a much longer list - including all the stained-glass windows, most of the statuary and artwork, and the holy relic known as the Crown of Thorns. The organ - the second biggest in France - was badly affected by dust and smoke, but reparable.

 

Cathedral clergy also celebrated certain "miraculés" – miraculous survivors.

 

These include the 14th Century statue in the choir known as the Virgin of the Pillar, which narrowly avoided being crushed by falling masonry.

 

Sixteen massive copper statues of the Apostles and Evangelists, which surrounded the spire, were brought down for renovation just four days before the fire.

 

After inspecting the devastation the next day, Macron made what to many at the time seemed a rash promise: to have Notre-Dame re-opened for visitors within five years.

 

A public body to manage the work was created by law, and an appeal for funds brought an immediate response. In all €846m were raised, much from big sponsors but also from hundreds of thousands of small donors.

 

Responsibility for the task was given to Jean-Louis Georgelin, a no-nonsense army general who shared Macron’s impatience with committees and the “heritage” establishment.

 

"They’re used to dealing with frigates. This is an aircraft-carrier," he said.

 

Georgelin is given universal credit for the project’s undoubted success, but he died in an accident in the Pyrenees in August 2023 and was replaced by Philippe Jost.

 

An estimated 2,000 masons, carpenters, restorers, roofers, foundry-workers, art experts, sculptors and engineers worked on the project - providing a huge boost for French arts and crafts.

 

Many trades - such as stone-carving - have seen a big increase in apprenticeships as a result of the publicity.

 

"[The Notre Dame project] has been the equivalent of a World Fair, in the way it has been a showcase for our craftsmanship. It is a superb shop-window internationally," said Pascal Payen-Appenzeller, whose association promotes traditional building skills.

 

The first task of the project was to make the site safe, and then to dismantle the massive tangle of metal scaffolding that had previously surrounded the spire but melted in the fire and fused with the stonework.

 

Early on a decision had to be made about the nature of renovation: whether to faithfully recreate the medieval building and the 19th Century neo-Gothic changes wrought by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, or to use the opportunity to mark the building with a modern imprint.

 

An appeal for new designs produced unusual ideas, including a glass roof, a green "eco-roof", a massive flame instead of a spire, and a spire topped by a vertical laser shooting into the firmament.

 

In the face of opposition from experts and the public, all were abandoned and the reconstruction is essentially true to the original - though with some concessions to modern materials and safety requirements. The roof timbers, for example, are now protected with sprinklers and partitioning.

 

The only remaining point of contention is over Macron’s desire for a modern design for stained-glass windows in six side-chapels. Artists have submitted entries for a competition, but there is stiff opposition from many in the French arts world.

 

Macron has tried to make the renovation of Notre-Dame a theme and a symbol.

 

He has closely involved himself with the project, and visited the cathedral several times.

 

At a moment when his political fortunes are at an all-time low - following bruising parliamentary elections in July - the re-opening is a much-needed boost for morale.

 

Some said he was stealing the limelight by organising Friday’s ceremony - officially to mark the end of the project - a week ahead of the formal re-opening. It means that the first, long-awaited images of the interior will also inevitably focus on him.

 

In answer Elysée officials point out that the cathedral - like all French religious buildings under a law of 1905 - belongs to the state, with the Catholic Church its "assigned user"; and that without Macron’s rapid mobilisation, the work would never have been completed so quickly.

 

"Five years ago everyone thought the president’s promise would be hard to keep," said the Elysée insider.

 

"Today we have the proof not only that it was possible - but that it was at heart what everyone ardently wanted.

 

"What people will see [in the new Notre Dame] is the splendour and the strength of collective will-power – à la française."