Categories: World News

Small fire in towering spire of medieval cathedral in French city of Rouen is under control


PARIS (AP) — A small fire broke out Thursday in the spire of the medieval cathedral in Rouen, a major landmark in northern France that was under renovation, but authorities said it was quickly brought under control.

Witnesses told French television they saw smoke emanating from the spire just after midday, and recalled a devastating fire in 2019 at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris that toppled its spire and collapsed its roof.

Rouen’s 12th century cathedral, which is considered a Gothic masterpiece, is widely beloved, not least because of a series of paintings by impressionist Claude Monet capturing its asymmetrical western facade. It is also the tallest church in France, and among the tallest cathedrals in the world. It is renowned for its three towers, each constructed in a different style.

Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol first posted on the social media platform X around midday that “the beginning of a fire” was underway “on the spire of Rouen cathedral.”

Less than 90 minutes later, Stephane Gouezec, of the Seine-Maritime firefighters, said the source of the blaze had been located — some 120 meters (some 400 feet) high — and the fire contained. Crews were working to ensure there were no remaining “hot spots,” he added.

But he told reporters the risk of the flames spreading was low because the fire was in an area where there was mostly metal.

Gouezec said construction workers were the first to notice the fire and alerted authorities.

The cathedral was evacuated and a security perimeter put in place, according to regional officials. Archbishop Dominique Lebrun told French media that the structure was expected to reopen Friday.

Witnesses in Rouen were jittery since the memory of Paris’ Notre Dame blaze is still etched in the national consciousness. It caught fire five years ago, also while under renovation, and is scheduled to reopen in December after an unprecedented reconstruction effort. The cause of that fire was deemed an accident.

window.fbAsyncInit = function() {
FB.init({

appId : ‘870613919693099’,

xfbml : true,
version : ‘v2.9’
});
};

(function(d, s, id){
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));



Source link

Recent Posts

Can Colombia’s talks with the Comuneros del Sur help achieve ‘total peace’? | Conflict News

For Gómez-Suárez, if Colombia’s conflict is regional, then the solution should be too. He draws a contrast between his approach… Read More

7 hours ago

US hits Russia’s Gazprombank with sanctions – Financial Times

US hits Russia’s Gazprombank with sanctions  Financial TimesU.S. Sanctions Gazprombank, Dozens of Other Russian Institutions  The Wall Street JournalThe biggest remaining unsanctioned… Read More

13 hours ago

Inside Italy’s designer bag sweatshops | Fashion Industry

101 East goes undercover in Italy to expose the sweatshops making bags for some of the world’s leading luxury brands.The… Read More

17 hours ago

John Prescott, former UK deputy prime minister, has died, his family says

CNN  —  John Prescott, a former British deputy prime minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government, has died, his family said… Read More

22 hours ago

Civilian unlawfully embedded with IDF killed by Hezbollah in Lebanon – Israel News

An Israeli civilian who was brought into a southern Lebanese warzone was killed by enemy fire Wednesday, Binyamin Regional… Read More

1 day ago

What does the change in Russia’s nuclear policy mean for global security? | Russia-Ukraine war

President Vladimir Putin paves the way for broader use of atomic weapons.President Vladimir Putin has updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine. Now,… Read More

1 day ago

This website uses cookies.