Heart wrenching, I have trouble bringing myself to look at the horrific images.

58 acres of forest, is the woodland content, said one reporter I was watching.

I know ND has been damaged and rebuilt in the past, but it's still terribly sad to think that those beautiful rose windows and the great organ have been destroyed.

I'm glad I had the chance to visit.

a very haunting photo.

from:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...cathedral-Paris.html

lead roof

smoke first seen 6:50 pm Paris time

quote:

Originally posted by justjoe:
"Superheated" indeed. Someone with technical knowledge might tell us what kind of temps we are looking at....

Something approaching "As hot as the hinges of Hell" I'd imagine.

https://www.breitbart.com/euro...es-restoration-work/

Some glimmers of hope this evening — Le Figaro reports the comments of Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunez, who says the structure of the Cathedral has been saved, despite having lost the roof. And that is to say nothing of the interior.

Nunez said: “The fire has gone down in terms of intensity, so we think that the structure of Notre-Dame is saved, especially the north belfry.”

The structure of Our Lady of Paris “is saved and preserved in its entirety,” fire commander Jean-Claude Gallet said, noting that two-thirds of the roof has been destroyed. However, the Cathedral’s rectangular towers have been saved.

Gallet said that firefighters were able to save the structure by stopping the flames from spreading to the north tower belfry.

French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral and says he is seeking international help to restore the Paris landmark.

Macron said after the French capital’s fire chief announced the emergency response had changed into a monitoring and mop-up operation, “The worst has been avoided although the battle is not yet totally won.”

Macron said a national fundraising campaign to restore Notre Dame would be launched Tuesday, and he called on the world’s “greatest talents” to help.

The French leader credited the “courage” and “great professionalism” of firefighters with sparing Notre Dame’s facade and two landmark towers from being destroyed.

quote:

Originally posted by justjoe:
"Superheated" indeed. Someone with technical knowledge might tell us what kind of temps we are looking at....

In general I believe structural fires fall roughly between 1-2000 degrees F. Depends on the type of building of course. Aluminum melts at about 1200, copper and bronze about 2000, cast iron and steel over 2500

From the official Cathedral Twitter account. If true, it's incredible news.

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:
From the official Cathedral Twitter account. If true, it's incredible news.

I’d call it a miracle.

Amazing. Thank God.

quote:

Originally posted by Crom:
Maybe some people did something.

My thought exactly. Nowadays, it is muslim terrorism until proven otherwise.

I remember standing on the street opposite Jerusalem and looking at the golden dome. I made the comment to one of my tour-mates that it would be a great day for humanity when that thing comes down.

Today would be a good day.

(Yes, I understand that this could have been accidental, but given other recent attacks against Catholicism and the world in which we now live, I'll stick by my opening statement.)

I understand why Macron would look for help financial for rebuilding, but wouldn’t the Catholic Church be on the hook for it? Or does the French government own the building?

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
A very sad day. Humanity is losing one of its biggest treasures.

Jim

I'm with you on that Jimbo, crushing blow to humanity and the arts, IMO.

The cross is still standing. What an amazing metaphor.

As I understand it, the walls are limestone. Limestone is calcium carbonate (CaCO3) which when heated to above 840°C decomposes into calcium oxide (CaO) while releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) according to the equation: CaCO3(s) → CaO(s) + CO2(g). CaO is commonly known as lime, quicklime, or burnt lime. Won't it slake with all this water added? If so, it could affect the structural stability of the walls.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
This almost brings tears to my eyes. This is my favorite place to visit in Paris. Jesus, I'm speechless.

I suspect that HE is too!

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:

Reminds me of Hitler's 'scorched Earth' order as the Germans were pulling out of Paris in WWII. The officer responsible for destroying Eifel, Notre Dame, and all the other major historical buildings simply refused to carry out the order. He didn't want to be remembered as the man who destroyed Paris. . .

von Choltitz

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:

Lots of water damage and smoke in there. Belfor is probably already on site would be my guess.

From Wikipedia which is certainly not the last word in accuracy but still.... So it makes sense that Macron would speak to the issue of repairing / rebuilding.

Ownership

Under a 1905 law, Notre-Dame de Paris is among seventy churches in Paris built before that year that are owned by the French State. While the building itself is owned by the state, the Catholic Church is the designated beneficiary, having the exclusive right to use it for religious purpose in perpetuity. The archdiocese is responsible for paying the employees, security, heating and cleaning, and assuring that the cathedral is open free to visitors. The archdiocese does not receive subsidies from the French State.