A fire that broke out on the spire of Rouen Cathedral in Normandy, France, on Thursday, July 11, 2024, has been brought under control, according to local authorities. The blaze, which started around noon local time, primarily affected the plastic coverings and scaffolding on the 151-meter-high spire where restoration work was being carried out.Emergency services responded swiftly to the scene, with reports indicating that 63 to 103 firefighters and up to 40 fire trucks were deployed to combat the blaze. The cathedral was immediately evacuated, and a security perimeter was established around the building.Stéphane Gouezec, director of the departmental rescue and fire service, stated that while the fire was ‘under control,’ they could not yet declare it fully extinguished. The mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, initially reported the fire on social media, stating that ‘all public resources are mobilized’.Preliminary reports suggest that the fire may have been caused by a ‘bad maneuver’ during the restoration work, according to Culture Minister Rachida Dati. Three workers at the construction site reportedly inhaled smoke while initially fighting the fire with extinguishers before the arrival of firefighters.The Prefecture of Seine-Maritime has announced that specialized teams are analyzing the damage to determine if the fire or the water used to extinguish it has caused any harm to the building’s heritage or artwork. However, initial assessments indicate that the cathedral’s structure was not damaged and no artwork was affected.This incident has drawn immediate comparisons to the devastating fire that engulfed Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in April 2019, which also occurred during restoration work. The Rouen Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture built between the 12th and 16th centuries, has been undergoing restoration since 2016, with work expected to be completed by 2026.
Key points
- Fire on Rouen Cathedral spire brought under control within hours.
- Blaze primarily affected scaffolding and plastic coverings, with minimal damage to the cathedral structure.
- Cause of fire under investigation, possibly linked to ongoing restoration work.
- Swift response from emergency services, with up to 103 firefighters deployed.
- Incident draws comparisons to 2019 Notre-Dame fire in Paris.
Contradictions👾There are slight discrepancies in the reported number of firefighters responding to the scene, with figures ranging from 63 to 103.
