Notre-Dame fire

The construction of the Catholic cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris") began in the 12th century. Its walls and interior vaulted ceiling are of stone. Its roof and flèche (spire) were of wood—much of it 13th-century oak—sheathed in lead to exclude water. The spire was rebuilt several times, including in the 19th century. The cathedral's stonework had been severely eroded by years of weather and pollution, The roof timbers were dry, spongy and powdery with age. and scaffolding was being erected over the transept. Extensive attention had been given to the risk of fire at the cathedral. The Paris Fire Brigade drilled regularly to prepare for emergencies there, including on-site exercises in 2018; a firefighter was posted to the cathedral each day; and fire wardens checked conditions beneath the roof three times daily. ==Fire==

Fire broke out in the attic beneath the cathedral's roof at 18:18 CEST. At 18:20, the fire alarm sounded and guards evacuated the cathedral; a guard was sent to investigate, but to the wrong location—the attic of the adjoining sacristy—where he found no fire. About fifteen minutes later, the error was discovered, but by the time guards had climbed the three hundred steps to the cathedral attic, the fire was well advanced. Firefighters arrived within ten minutes. Police evacuated the Île de la Cité, the island in the river Seine where the cathedral is located. White smoke was seen rising from the roof, which turned black before flames appeared from the spire, then turned yellow. Firefighting More than 400 firefighters were engaged; The fire was primarily fought from inside the structure, which was more dangerous for personnel but reduced potential damage to the cathedral; applying water from outside risked deflecting flames and hot gases (at temperatures up to 800°C or 1500°F) inwards. Deluge guns were used at lower-than-usual pressures to minimise damage to the cathedral and its contents, with water that was supplied by pump-boat from the Seine. Helicopters were not used because of dangerous updrafts, Molten lead falling from the roof posed a special hazard for firefighters. One firefighter and two police officers were injured. Damage and two other cells of vaulting collapsed. Most of the wood/metal roof and the spire of the cathedral was destroyed, with about one third of the roof remaining. Some sections of this vaulting collapsed in turn, The cathedral contained a large number of artworks, religious relics, and other irreplaceable treasures, Some artwork had been removed in preparation for the renovations, and most of the cathedral's sacred relics were held in the adjoining sacristy, which the fire did not reach; all the cathedral's relics survived. Some contents were moved by a human chain of emergency workers and civil servants. but the three major rose windows, dating to the 13th century, were undamaged. Several pews were destroyed, and the vaulted arches were blackened by smoke, though the church's main cross and altar survived, along with the statues surrounding it. Some paintings, apparently only smoke-damaged, The rooster-shaped reliquary atop the spire was found damaged but intact among the debris. The three pipe organs were not significantly damaged. The largest of the cathedral's bells, the bourdon, was not damaged. The Paris police stated that there was no danger from breathing the air around the fire. The burned-down roof had been covered with over 400 metric tons of lead. Settling dust substantially raised surface lead levels in some places nearby, notably the cordoned-off area and places left open during the fire. Wet cleaning for surfaces and blood tests for children and pregnant women were recommended in the immediate area. People working on the cathedral after the fire did not initially take the required lead precautions; materials leaving the site were decontaminated, but some clothing was not, and some precautions were not correctly followed; as a result, the worksite failed some inspections and was temporarily shut down. There was also more widespread contamination; testing, cleanup, and public health advisories were delayed for months, and the neighbourhood was not decontaminated for four months, prompting widespread criticism. principally from runoff from intact roofs. The Health Ministry rules that children should not be exposed to more than 70 micrograms/m2 indoors. There is no legal limit for outdoor lead levels, which are often very heterogeneous; the Regional Health Agency of Ile-de-France was not certain if some of the elevated levels being measured were connected to the fire. This lack of clarity and threshold-linked mandatory measures may have delayed action. In mid-July, regional health officials raised their outdoor guideline from 1,000 micrograms/m2 to 5,000. Samples of honey collected in July 2019 revealed higher lead concentrations downwind from Notre-Dame and lead isotopes tagged the lead as originating from the fire and not other potential sources of pollutants. Reactions , Paris' city hall, in homage to the cathedral and those who helped save it French president Emmanuel Macron, postponing a speech to address the yellow vests movement planned for that evening, went to Notre-Dame and gave a brief address there. Major religious leaders and representatives of numerous countries and international organisations extended condolences. Through the night of the fire and into the next day, people gathered along the Seine to hold vigils, sing and pray. Some commentators found deeper meaning in the fire, linking it with divine judgment or the decline of Western civilisation. The following Sunday at Saint-Eustache Church, the Archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, honoured the firefighters with the presentation of a book of scriptures saved from the fire. ==Investigation==

On 16 April, the Paris prosecutor said that there was no evidence of a deliberate act, but the cause of the fire had not been proven yet. and has raised old questions about the safety of similar structures and the techniques used to restore them. On 25 April 2019, the structure was considered safe enough for entry of investigators, who unofficially stated that they were considering theories involving malfunction of the electric bell-ringing apparatus and cigarette butts discovered on the renovation scaffolding. Le Bras Frères confirmed that its workers had smoked cigarettes, contrary to regulations, but denied that a cigarette butt could have started the fire. The Paris prosecutor's office announced on 26 June that no evidence had been found to suggest a criminal motive. The security employee monitoring the alarm system was new on the job, and was working a second eight-hour shift that day because his relief had not arrived. Additionally, the fire alarm system used to locate fires was labeled in a confusing manner, which contributed to the initial confusion about the location of the fire. By 15 April 2020, investigators believed the fire "to have been started by either a cigarette or a short circuit in the electrical system". ==Reconstruction==

was rebuilt with wrought iron trusses and copper sheeting after an 1836 fire. On the night of the fire, Macron said that the cathedral would be rebuilt, and launched an international fundraising campaign. France's cathedrals have been owned by the state since 1905, and are not privately insured. The heritage conservation organisation Fondation du Patrimoine estimated the damage in the hundreds of millions of euros. losses from the fire are not expected to substantially affect the insurance industry. European art insurers stated the cost would be similar to ongoing renovations of the Palace of Westminster in London, which was estimated to be around €7billion. This cost does not include damage to any of the artwork or artefacts within the cathedral; art insurers said any pieces on loan from other museums would have been insured, but the works owned by the cathedral would not have been insurable. There was discussion of whether to reconstruct the cathedral in modified form. Rebuilding the roof with titanium sheets and steel trusses had been suggested; other options included rebuilding in the original lead and wood, or using a combination of restored old elements and newly designed ones. s over metal beams were quickly rigged to protect the interior from the elements. Nettings protect the destabilised exterior. French prime minister Édouard Philippe announced an architectural design competition for a new spire "adapted to the techniques and the challenges of our era." The spire replacement project gathered a variety of designs and some controversy, particularly its legal exemption from environmental and heritage rules. After the design competition was announced, the French Senate amended the government's proposed restoration bill to require the roof to be restored to how it was before the fire. The National Assembly rejected this amendment, and on 16 July 2019, 95 days after the fire, the law that governed the restoration of the cathedral was approved by the Parliament. It recognised its UNESCO World Heritage Site status and the need to respect existing international charters and practices, to "preserve the historic, artistic and architectural history of the monument", and to limit any derogations to the existing heritage, planning, environmental and construction codes to a minimum. It left the architectural form of the reconstruction and the spire design undetermined. In doing so, the authenticity associated with the destroyed construction may be restored, but it conversely undermined architect Viollet-le-Duc's originally more creative approach. In 2020, Jean-Louis Georgelin, a retired high-ranking French general, was appointed to oversee the cathedral's reconstruction; he died on 18 August 2023. On 15 April 2020, Germany offered to restore "some of the large clerestory windows located far above eye level" with three expert tradesmen who specialize in rebuilding cathedrals. Monika Grütters, Germany's Commissioner for Culture, was quoted as saying "her country would shoulder the costs". The ongoing status of the restoration was posted regularly by the organisation Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris. Macron visited the cathedral on 15 April 2022, the third anniversary of the fire. Macron toured the site where work was being carried out to restore the landmark and spoke to those undertaking the project about their progress. In the spring of 2022, eight workshops of master glassmakers and locksmiths, selected across France, began the process of cleaning and restoration of the cathedral's stained glass windows. The Cologne Cathedral workshop from Germany joined the effort by restoring four of the stained glass windows. Macron led a video unveiling of the reconstructed building on 29 November 2024, a week ahead of the planned reopening on 7 December 2024. On 7 December 2024, Notre-Dame was reopened following the completion of reconstruction efforts. Although reopened, Notre-Dame restoration efforts are set to continue until 2027. This includes restoration of the chevet and sacristy, installation of stained glass windows, and restoration of the forecourt and approach to the cathedral. Fundraising , donations of over €1billion had been pledged for the cathedral's reconstruction, at least €880million of that in less than a day after Macron's appeal. Pledges €10M and over include: There have been many additional pledges for smaller, or undisclosed, amounts. A proposal by former minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon that corporate donations for Notre-Dame should get a 90% tax deduction (rather than the standard 60%) was retracted after public outcry. Some donors have said they will not seek tax deductions. , only €80million had been collected. The minister in charge of national museums and monuments, Franck Riester, predicted that further donations would materialise as reconstruction work progressed, By September 2021 at least 320,000 donors had contributed over €840 million to the rebuilding effort. ==In popular culture==

The fire was the subject of the 2022 French disaster film Notre-Dame on Fire directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The fire appears in the epilogue of the 2025 horror novel King Sorrow written by American author Joe Hill. In 2026 singer/songwriter Morrissey released the track "Notre Dame" referencing the fire. ==See also==