Live.- Fire in Notre Dame: believe that the structure of the cathedral building is safe

Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most emblematic monuments of the French capital, was burned down and the flames consumed the central spire, which collapsed.

"Everything burns, everything burns, the frame, dating from the twelfth century on one side and the thirteenth century, on the other, there will be nothing," lamented the spokesman of the cathedral, André Finot. He added: "We must see if the vault, which protects the cathedral, will be touched or not."

The fire began around 6:50 pm local time, and took the attic of the cathedral, Europe's most visited historical monument, and tourists were evacuated, said firefighters.

The fire would be "potentially linked" to the renovation of the building, according to firefighter sources.

Security forces have already established a security perimeter around the cathedral and have expelled bridges that connect the island of La Cité where the temple is located to the rest of the city, according to the DPA.

The French government believes that the structure of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral "may have been saved", due to the cooling recorded in recent minutes, although he invited "to remain cautious".

A little earlier, Paris firefighters had said they were not sure that the flames could be stopped by the roof of the Notre-Dame cathedral and had pointed out that if the fire reached the towers, the consequences would be unpredictable.

The French Secretary of State for the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, present at the scene, also said that the salvation of the monument "is not guaranteed".

A spokesman for firefighters, Jean-Claude Gallet, said the priority now was to prevent the collapse of the north tower of the cathedral, which could end up with a good part of the building.

In the fire extinguishing works, which were declared shortly before 19:00 local time (17:00 GMT), after the closure of the monument to the public, 400 firefighters participated and 18 water cannons as well as resources in air and water from the Seine, nearby.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, went to the vicinity of Notre Dame de Paris to follow the work of the firefighters accompanied by Prime Minister Édouard Philippe.

Other members of his government, including Defense Minister Florence Parly, the Minister of Culture, Franck Riester, and the Secretary of State for the Interior, also went to the post command where operations are supervised.

Before settling in the cathedral, the head of state had decided to postpone a speech of great importance that was to be broadcast on television at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) and in which he was waiting for the announcement of measures to end the crisis of the "yellow vests" opened five months ago.

In a first message on his Twitter account, Macron expressed "the fire of an entire nation" in front of the fire and said that he was thinking of all Catholics and all French.

Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most emblematic buildings of the French capital. It began to be built in 1163 and was completed in 1345. It is located on the Ile de la Cité, on the Seine.

The cathedral, one of the most emblematic buildings of the French capital, began to be built in 1163, was completed in 1345 and is located on the Ile de la Cité, on the Seine, reported the DPA news agency.

Notre Dame Cathedral, with around 13 million visitors a year, is the most visited historical monument in Europe.

THE RESEARCH

The Paris Public Prosecutor 's Office today opened an investigation to determine the circumstances that caused the fire that affected much of the roof of the Notre – Dame Cathedral in Paris and caused the. collapse of its central bell tower.
The judicial police are instructed to investigate the reasons for the fire, which was declared at 18:50, local time on the roof of the temple, and which continues, said judicial sources at EFE.

The Paris prosecutor, Rémy Heitz, is on the scene, accompanied by other authorities, such as the mayor of the capital, Anne Hidalgo, while the president should arrive, Emmanuel Macron, after suspending a televised speech. I had planned.

According to the first elements, the fire was declared at 18:50 in a roof area of ​​the Cathedral being restored. The flames first affected the vicinity of the central spire, added in the 19th century to the medieval temple.

Firefighters struggled to access the cathedral, which caused the flames to spread through the frame that holds the roof, which was slowly consumed by the flames.

At the time of the fire, the cathedral had already closed the tourists but the authorities evacuated the entire perimeter as well as part of the adjacent houses to avoid being affected by the smoke.