Paris- Notre Dame Cathedral on fire

[drcoastline]

The interior is remarkably intact?
No burnt beams, ashes on the floor? No smoke damage? I need to think this is good news for all the artifacts?

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by drcoastline

I haven't heard any reports, in fact news sources have been very cautious and even cut off speculators.



I will hold off on passing judgement, but in light of the desecration of Catholic Churches around France in the past few months, the fact that this fire started the day after Palm Sunday and one week before Easter and that it started five minutes after the Cathedral closed makes one wonder if it is more than an accident.



I imagine time will tell.

What I have seen was fringe reporting. Whe they tend to be right in the long run. I am not jumping to conclusions.

This is not the first time it has been attacked.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Alan A

anyone care to speculate how it started?

In a open atmosphere where excess local heat can go anywhere and any liquid ignition would safely drop hundreds of feet or evaporate safely.
[No easy ignition sources unless extreme stupidity is involved]

Originally Posted by Sooner or later

Construction

Huge segments of marble, slate, lead, and some very thick wood beams.
[Not very flammable.]


The French government sits back and watches it burn....
Meanwhile ingenuity of fire brigades and helicopters cable of carrying extreme loads are available from nearby airports are noticeably absent.

[Balloonmeister]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Wonderful post.

I have only been twice. While Catholic, I am not religious...I gazed in wonder as well.

My wife has climbed the towers, looked down on Paris from that purchase before we met.

The world lit only by light.

Thanx, Seahawk. I will never forget the notes of compassion that I got from my French colleagues on 9/11. The thoughts still bring tears to my eyes as they expressed shock, concern and offered their prayers for the U.S.

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by Balloonmeister

I worked for the DoD as a consultant for 10 years on a Mutual Defense Agreement with France. Probably made over 70 trips to Paris during that time and nearly every time would visit Notre Dame to just sit, pray and gaze in wonder as to how such a magnificent structure could have been built over 800 years ago. I am beyond saddened for the good people of France in their loss today and am thankful though that it appears no one was injured in the fire.

This is certainly a tragedy. On my first visit there years ago, I heard a Wagner recital in that magnificent chamber, played on the largest, loudest pipe organ in France. I have since visited quite a few times. November 18mths back, my wife and had the privilege of being almost alone at night in the south tower, which houses the giant bells "Marie" and the ten tonne "Emmanuel", while the bells in the north tower pealed out for the Day of the Dead.

The Cathedral is figuratively and literally the heart of Paris. This is such a loss.

[jean-zac]

[red-beard]

Took my wife to Paris in 2006. Here are some shots of Notre Dame











Rebuild - Renew - Rejoice! Notre Dame is not dead. It will be reborn!

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by Alan A

anyone care to speculate how it started?

Burning of Polaroids... too soon?

[stuartj]

I am an expert in the medevel cathedral construction and restoration, as Im sure many here are.

There has been major renovation restoration work going on in the roof section and spire. This (below) shot is taken from the western buttress end showing the major scaffold over the roof and around the spire. This section is visible in the night photo posted uppage, taken from the top of the smoke obscured south tower. The fire seems to be in the roof, in the daytime on Monday. I speculate a contruction fire.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by stuartj

I speculate a contruction fire.*

*spontaneous of course.

You know how static electricity builds up.

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by john70t

*spontaneous of course.

You know how static electricity builds up.

I know we love a good conspiracy here at Pelican, and ofcourse the entire Ile de la Cité is a no-go zone. But until evidence nefarious intent surfaces, it seems that an errant angle grinder, welder, elecric motor - or maybe even a butt end are more likely to blame.

[HardDrive]

Now the larger question: Do they rebuild in exactly the same style?

Everyone views monuments like this in terms of our own lifetimes. But the reality is that the building has changed quite a bit over the years. The spire that fell was built in the 1800's. Curious to see how the church is restored.

[wayne robson]

Take a look at the size of timber in the bell tower, all solid oak,
i took these about 25 30 years ago, and the largest bell called
Emmanuel bell weighs 15 ton, cast in 1681,.
See the oak beam holding the bell, for memory is about 3ft x 1 ft beam ,
and even the beams in ceilng were about 12 inches by 8 inches solid oak.
hope some of it is saved.----the steps to bell tower, 850 years old.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by stuartj

I know we love a good conspiracy here at Pelican, and ofcourse the entire Ile de la Cité is a no-go zone. But until evidence nefarious intent surfaces, it seems that an errant angle grinder, welder, elecric motor - or maybe even a butt end are more likely to blame.

Not trying to feed the conspiracy, but the fire started AFTER the end of work for the day.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Not trying to feed the conspiracy, but the fire started AFTER the end of work for the day.

And? We lost a whole apartment complex to a construction fire that started several hours after the last Workman left out here. Stranger things have happened.

[svandamme]

things can smoulder for quite some time before it kicks off.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by svandamme

things can smoulder for quite some time before it kicks off.

Yep, some halfwit didn't take precautions in regard to angle grinder sparks/cobwebs burning after a gastorch used/molten metal from a welder...

Whoever caused it certainly isn't going to own up to it.

[stuartj]

Wow. Firefighters. That looks like a really shlthouse place to be.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Yep, some halfwit didn't take precautions in regard to angle grinder sparks/cobwebs burning after a gastorch used/molten metal from a welder...

Whoever caused it certainly isn't going to own up to it.

in such a building the work supervisor and safety supervisor should have assigned several levels of precautions.

Local workers should have had
spark sheets
wet things down

then they should have had fire watch for areas where they had spark or flame tools during the workday...
I know it's tedious, but that's what has to be done for things that can't be replaced.

Safety inspector should be working for a different company then the work company... checks and balances.let them argue ! cheaper then building rebuild..

I don't think this could have , would have happened in the UK...They are to anal about health & safety down there...especially after Windsor Castle burned down 1992..
And in such buildings, they should

[sc_rufctr]