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The spire and most of the centuries-old roof of the cathedral were destroyed, but both spiers and the main building were saved.
A video published by the French Ministry of the Interior showed the magnitude of the response. The authorities deployed some 400 firefighters, pumped water from the Seine and piloted drones to monitor the damage.
"It was pretty obvious in the first 20 minutes that the fire was going to fire," said Gregg Favre, a former firefighter with the St. Louis Fire Department in the United States.
The firefighters would have been disadvantaged "even before leaving the barracks," added Favre.
Once the beams have started to burn, the outer stones prevent the firemen from going to the source of the flames. Stones trap heat and smoke, preventing them from working indoors.
The height of Notre Dame was also a challenge, as it provided additional oxygen for breathing fire and complicating efforts to reach the flames.
"The fuel load is very high and firefighters can not get there fast," said Glenn Corbett, badociate professor of fire science at the John Jay Criminal Justice College in New York.
The video of the scene also shows firefighters using a robot named Colossus, built by Shark Robotics. The motorized robot, which can withstand extreme heat and connect to a fire hose, was maneuvered into the cathedral to spray the water area.
"Maybe cisterns filled with water could be used to extinguish it. Trump said in a tweet.
But according to Corbett, no airplane pilot could drop water "exactly at this point, traveling several hundred kilometers an hour".
Corbett also ruled out the use of helicopters: "One of the problems you have here, is that thermal updraft, it's a chimney, you can only not fly a helicopter in the warm air.The air is so thin. "
The French Civil Security Agency, Civil Security, said in an apparent reference to Trump's suggestion that any water spill could "weaken the structure of Notre Dame and cause collateral damage to nearby buildings. ".
Despite the enormous challenges, the 400 firefighters were able to save a significant portion of the cathedral.
Thomas Von Essen, a former fire commissioner from New York City who served during the September 11 attacks, said that a photograph of the interior was encouraging.
"It's not, you know, 30 feet of debris … things that will stay smoldering for days, it looks like they've put out the fire," Von Essen said.
"The fact that they were able to control the fire spread as much as they did and saved a large part of the building, including the two spiers, is a considerable effort," Favre said. .
"I think any firefighter to whom you will ask to make a living would tell you that it is a major event in the fight against fires and that these firefighters need to be commended significantly." "
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