This looks bad. Very afraid this will turn to "containment" as there cannot be any reasonable way to fight a fire that high up in the structure.








https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ne...dame-cathedral-fire/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/f...l-in-paris-1.4380501

Link to a video:

https://www.pscp.tv/snoopynette/1yNGavoByLgJj

Yeah that doesn't look good.

Sounds like all firefighters have been pulled out of the structure for interior attack due imminent collapse. What a terrible loss, so much history and priceless artifacts inside will be lost.

OMG
Probably the most iconic and famous church outside the Vatican.

A very sad day. Humanity is losing one of its biggest treasures.

Jim

Wow, that's awful.

Idiots.

That is literally priceless.

This almost brings tears to my eyes. This is my favorite place to visit in Paris. Jesus, I'm speechless.

Article says its possibly the result of the renovation...

There's no aerial tankers anywhere close that could hit that thing from the sky?

Not everyone is a history buff, but this cathedral is a treasure to humanity. Just heartbreaking.

https://notredamecathedralparis.com/history/

Notre Dame Cathedral History

One of the most notable monuments in Paris (and in all of Europe for that matter) is the Notre Dame Cathedral. This Catholic treasure is over 800 years old. It is located on a small island called the Ile de la Cite in the middle of the River Seine. The building of the cathedral was completed over the course of 200 years; it was started in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII and was completed in 1345.

As is the case with most notable historical monuments, The Notre dame Cathedral Paris has its own share of both the glorious and the tragic historical moments that will forever remain indelible in the mind of people everywhere. Among them is the crowning of Henry VI of England right inside the cathedral in 1431. The Cathedral was at one time in a stage of total disrepair and close to the point of being demolished, but was later saved by Napoleon who himself was crowned Emperor in 1804 inside the Cathedral.

After restoring the Cathedral back to its formal beauty and in the midst of World War II, it was rumored that the German soldiers might destroy the newly installed stained glass. It was therefore removed and only reinstalled again after the war had ended. The steps were taken because of only one particular archeological glass window called the Rose window which is supposed to be the biggest glass window in the world produced in the 13th century.

Discussing the history of the Notre Dame Cathedral Paris would not be complete without discussing the most famous story of the peasant girl, Joan of Arc, who is well documented in the history books of France. She was very brave and claimed that she had visions from God. This poor girl had spiritual and character richness even though she had no material goods. Through her visions and courage, she helped France in the battles against the English troops. While using the wise military tactics of Joan of Arc, the well-known heroine, France won many fights against England. She also was a great supporter of the monarchy; she is indirectly the reason why Charles VII was crowned. However, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burundians’, accused of heresy and tragically, she was burned at the stake. But this was not the end of the brave girl. On the 7th of July 1456, Joan of Arc was declared innocent and a martyr. In 1909 she was beatified in the famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris by Pope Pius X.

Notre Dame Cathedral which can also be called “our lady” is still in use today by the Roman Catholic Church for Sunday mass and it is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. A notable and distinct historical artefact which is very popular today is the famous bell that has been redesigned to ring automatically. Any visitor to the bell tower should be prepared to climb the 140 steps staircase, if desirous of seeing the historical bell or have a glimpse of the city of Paris.

Also inside the Notre Dame Cathedral, among so many historical artefacts, is the notable 17th century organ with all of its parts still functional. There are also drawings, plans and engravings which showed the old and hidden mysteries of several of the church developments and how the city of Paris came into being.

The Notre-Dame Blog is a great place to find out more about the World-Famous Cathedral that captures the hearts of all Paris visitors, not just Catholics.

Entire roof structure gone. Spire collapsed. I assume the interior is gone. Maybe the stone structure will survive.

News readers saying that the firefighters have pulled out and are doing an exterior attack. That doesn't bode well.

quote:

Originally posted by deepocean:
No! I hope they do not lose the entire structure.

If you've never been inside Notre Dame, you just cannot appreciate its stunning beauty. This is beyond tragic.

that is very sad....what a loss

so much history lost

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
There's no aerial tankers anywhere close that could hit that thing from the sky?

West Coast USA and Canada...............

I saw this a few minutes ago but these pictures are worse than the ones I saw. As a structural engineer, I fear the worst for this priceless treasure, particularly if they’ve pulled the firefighters out. As someone said before, it was our favorite spot in Paris. Hoping and praying it’s not as bad as it looks.

They have tower ladders that can throw more sustained water than an aerial tanker can. But any time they pull out to do an exterior attack, it basically means that the building itself is gone and they're just trying to keep the fire from spreading to other buildings.

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
There's no aerial tankers anywhere close that could hit that thing from the sky?

West Coast USA and Canada...............

This is horrible. I’ve always wanted to visit.

Just curious, what is burning (Other than pews and artifacts)? Is there a ton of wood in the structure? I always imagined it was all stone.

Almost 800 years of history and heritage, gone in a couple of hours. And during Holy Week.