Revealed the possible cause of fire in Notre Dame Cathedral

The Paris police investigators believe that a short circuit would have been the most likely cause of the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, a French police officer said Thursday, as the country celebrated a tribute day to the firefighters who saved the property recognized around the world.

A French judicial officer told The badociated press that researchers did an initial evaluation of the cathedral Wednesday but that they had not been given the go-ahead to register the burning interior of Notre Dame because of the current security dangers.

The manager, who requested anonymity because he was not allowed to talk about the investigation, also said that The fragile walls of the cathedral were reinforced with planks of wood.

A few hours before, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, presided over a ceremony at the palace of the Elysee to thank the hundreds of firefighters who fought for nine hours against the fire that began Monday afternoon. The authorities said that Our Lady, dating from the 12th century, was in risk of calcination of foundations before rescue teams prevent fire from spreading to the steeples.

Firefighters have also saved many victims. Important relics and works of art inside the cathedral.

"We saw before our eyes the just things perfectly organized in a few moments, with responsibility, courage, solidarity and meticulous organizationMacron said: "The worst has been avoided," he added.

Macron stated that firefighters will receive a Medal of Honor for his courage and dedication.

During the ceremony, the investigators continued their investigation. which caused the fire. The huge cathedral, including the needle consumed by the flames and collapsed, was in its infancy. long restoration.

Until now, researchers believe that the fire was accidental and interrogate the employees and workers of the cathedral on renovations. Thursday, about forty people had been questioned, according to the parquet of Paris.

The building would have burned to the ground in a "Chain collapse" if firefighters had not acted as quickly as they had to fight the flames throughout the buildingsaid José Vaz de Matos, fire expert with the French Ministry of Culture.

The first fire alarm sounded at 6:20 p.m. when a mbad was celebrated in the cathedral, but the source of the fire was not found. A second alarm sounded at 6:43 p.m. and then the fire was on the roof.

Macron wants to rebuild the cathedral in five years, In time for the summer Olympics that will host Paris in 2024, but experts wondered if the deadline was realistic, given the enormity of the work to be done. One of them said that the reconstruction could easily take around 15 years. Nearly one billion dollars were offered for the restoration of the temple.

The bells of cathedrals from all over France were sounded on Wednesday to pay tribute to Notre Dame and the firefighters.

By Elaine Ganley and Sylvie Corbet for AP