Notre-Dame LATEST: Fire finally extinguished but doubts remain over cathedral’s structure

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Notre-Dame LATEST: Fire finally extinguished but doubts remain over cathedral's structure
Firefighters were at the scene this morning making the building safe. Photo: AFP

The safety of the structure of Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral is still in doubt after the horrifying blaze that engulfed the building overnight.

Main info at 10:30

  • Fire completely extinguished but doubts remain over structure

  • Experts meeting to assess damage

  • Two police officers and one firefighter injured

  • Billionaires pledge €300 million to completely rebuild Notre-Dame

The horrific fire was finally declared extinguished at around 10am on Tuesday, over 15 hours after the fire first started in the attic of the famous cathedral.

“The whole fire has been extinguished. Now we’re in the phase of investigating,” spokesman Gabriel Plus told reporters at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT), adding that the fire had spread “very quickly” through the wooden roof of the world renowned monument.

Briefing reporters in front of Notre-Dame in central Paris, Plus said firefighters had focused during the morning on the cathedral’s two massive bell towers and making sure they had not been damaged.

“That is the case,” he said.

The task now is to monitor the structure, to see if it has moved at all and to put out remaining hot spots, he said, adding that about 100 firemen will remain on site for the whole day.

The blaze which erupted at about 7pm on Monday, completely engulfed the roof of the 850-year-old cathedral, causing the famous spire to collapse and part of the vault.

Firefighters were at the scene this morning making the building safe. Photo: AFP

Firefighters, engineers and experts were on the scene this morning, and warned that there are still doubts about the safety of the structure.

“The main structure has been saved but there is still a lot of instability, the situation is still precarious,” the Minister of Culture Franck Riester told French radio station France Inter.
Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said questions will look at how the structure has resisted the fire.
“Last night, two thirds of the roof burned, the spire collapsed, creating a hole in the vault, part of the transept collapsed.”
The minister added that he wants to “remain cautious” but also “optimistic”.
“The two bell tower and the works were saved, including the treasure, thanks to the courage of the Paris fire brigade.
“The crown of thorns, the tunic of Saint-Louis are safe at the Paris City Hall. The organ is obviously quite affected, the large paintings, a priori, have water-related damage. They will have to be restored.”
Paris firefighters managed to save many of the cathedral’s treasures before being beaten back by the intensity of the flames.
One firefighter and two police officers were injured overnight. Their conditions are not known but the injuries are not thought to be serious.
As dawn broke dozens of locals visited the scene to see the damage and pay their respects.
One woman told The Local: “I’m very sad. I live in this arrondissement and Notre-Dame is part of my every day life. The cathedral is a great symbol of Paris and I used to visit every year with my mother.”
Another added: “I am so sad. We will rebuild it but it will never be the same again. It was like a nightmare watching those images last night

Source:France24.com