Fire at Notre Dame: the dangers of extinguishing fire with water

The water could cause a huge disaster, even higher than fire, in the
fire of Notre Dame de Paris. León Cathedral, burned down in 1966, was saved precisely because it avoided pouring water on the stone, explains
Javier Rivera Blanco, professor of history and architectural restoration and deputy director of
Institute of Cultural Heritage. According to the historian, it is better to burn the wood and slate of Notre Dame than to sprinkle the nerves of water, because the stone absorbs moisture, increases the weight and may cause the collapse of the water. 'together. "The same thing happened in León fifty years ago: the stonemason gave the alarm, the stone was avoided and the cathedral was saved," he said on Monday.

Rivera Blanco recalls that the Parisian chair was restored in 1830 by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who rebuilt the roofs and the central spire with a slate roof imitating the old roof. "The dome is burning, which is one of the parts restored by Viollet and where you can see a sculptural group of the 12 apostles rising to heaven and where the same restorer was included because He was a selfish "teacher.

Rivera Blanco, deputy director of the Heritage Institute, warns that the weight of the stone increases during the absorption of moisture and could collapse the whole

According to the historian, the value of the Paris Cathedral is "incalculable". "It is the identity of the French, it is the cathedral of the kings of France, which after the Revolution entered the village, is a fantastic source of economic resources, because it is the great model of French Gothic." The professor remembers that, with those of Chartres and Leon, he formed the great trio of European Gothic.

According to the historian, the value of the Paris Cathedral is "incalculable". "It's the identity of the French, that's the cathedral of the kings of France, which after the Revolution has entered the village, is a fantastic source of economic resources given that it is the great model of French Gothic "

For Rivera Blanco, the fire can also end with stained glbad, which is 60% original. "The fire will melt the lead that binds them and they will explode if the flames are not controlled in time." The specialist thinks that what is most in danger is the choir, which is in the middle of the ship, and the trascoro it gives to the outside. "There are many Renaissance sculptures and altarpieces of great value," he says.

VICENTE G. OLAYA – © El País