The World Watched In Horror As The Iconic Spire Of The 850-Year-Old Notre Dame Cathedral In Paris Burned Down

by Alan Davison | May 1, 2019 11:46 pm

The Notre Dame Catherdral fell victim[1] to a horrendous fire recently that destroyed its iconic spire. The fire spread quite quickly from the bell towers which is what caused the destruction of the spire.

Additionally, the fire then spread down to one of the cathedral’s rectangular towers. This news comes as a shock to many since the cathedral has served as one of the most notorious architectural buildings for 850 years.

While the loss of the spire was a great dent in what makes the Notre Dame Cathedral[2] so famous, firefighters were able to prevent the fire from doing further damage at this time.

The main structure of the church was able to be saved which is quite a blessing since there has been fears about the entire wood structure being destroyed.

This is credited to the over 400 firefighters brought on the scene to address the massive flames. Even still, the fire was felt all around the world.

The spire being aflame seemed to stop the entire world. Time itself was suspended as bypassers stopped to gawk at the incredible fire. News outlets were quick to report the news and bring live footage giving people all over the world an exclusive look at the efforts to fight the church’s fire.

The horror of watching the spire burn was an emotional distress that spread worldwide.

President Emmanuel Macron tweeted earlier about how the fire was such a sad occurrence for all Catholics and the French people. He expressed his deep grief in witnessing how the burning spire felt like losing apart of their core French culture.

Lots of French citizens could certainly relate to these thoughts of great sadness.

U.S. President Donald Trump[3] also reached out to show his concerns about the raging fire. He tweeted about the situation being “so horrible to watch” as the fires brimmed from the cathedral.

He went on further to suggest the use of flying water tankers in an extended effort to control the fire. There’s no doubting that this fire was a shock and horror to everyone around the globe.

The surrounding areas were reportedly evacuated around 11 p.m. local time to protect residents in the event that the structure would fully collapse. Luckily, that doesn’t appear to be an issue.

However, these measures were necessary due to the massive size of Notre Dame Cathedral. The aftermath of something even more devasting could have been catastrophic.

At this time, no deaths have been reported, however, injuries from the fire aren’t very clear either. Attempts to save the historical art from the building as well.

These attempts have been quite frantic as much of the artwork is considered to be the original prints. Any fire damage to these pieces would simply be unbearable.

The fire is estimated to have started around 6:45 p.m. when the cathedral officially closed for the evening. There hasn’t been a cause of the fire released as of yet.

However, reports speculate that the fire could have been related to a $6.8 million dollar renovation[4] project that has been an ongoing effort to preserve particular sections of the cathedral that were considered fragile.

While this hasn’t been confirmed as of yet, it seems to be the most logical explanation for the tragic fire.

There was reportedly a scaffolding that could be seen from the top of the spire that some speculate could have been part of the cause. The root cause is still considered to be under investigation by Paris officials.

This historical cathedral has been around since the 12th century. It was constructed on the site of two previous churches, making the land it sits on quite old as well.

Moreover, the famous Catholic cathedral plays an important role in housing various works of invaluable art. Not only is the art important, but the church itself acts as a mecca for millions of tourists every year.

This is primarily because the building is made of materials that have been maintained through the centuries. It is estimated that some parts of the wood in the structure are from the 13th century.

While the materials that the cathedral is built from are mostly historical, the spire has been rebuilt and remodelled a number of times. The most recent reconstruction of the spire was around the 19th century.

This still makes the iconic spire quite remarkable which is why the loss of it in the horrific fire has sent waves crashing through the world.

Even though the spire has been worked on throughout history to improve its overall structure, the damage from the fire brings on a whole other onset of emotions for people.

Some express in their grief that this time any type of reconstruction efforts won’t really make a difference. The fire damage has simply been too devasting to the cathedral. This has a lot of truth behind it as many will miss the main spire that was known for standing so tall.

The efforts of the firefighters were from within the structure as well as from the outside of the structure. The firefighters expressed that approaching the fire in this manner was the best way to ensure that all possible angles of the diaster was being addressed.

Considering the size of the fire, this certainly made the most sense.

The work of the firefighters from the outside of the Notre Dame Cathedral was from the top of large cranes. These cranes were said to have been used to get as close and high as possible from the exterior.

It certainly proved to be an effective method, even if the spire itself couldn’t be saved. It helped the rest of the building from being a complete loss.

This fire was certainly devasting for the entire world, especially France, but it is relieving to know that the entire Notre Dame Cathedral wasn’t ruined.

This historical landmark went through a lot, however, it had a lot saved from it as well. While people feel like any reconstruction efforts won’t fill the void in people’s hearts from this loss, others are still curious to see what future the cathedral might have.

Source URL: https://www.newsinsider.org/590/the-world-watched-in-horror-as-the-iconic-spire-of-the-850-year-old-notre-dame-cathedral-in-paris-burned-down/

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