Posted on 04/15/2019 2:36:08 PM PDT by Red Badger
French firefighters were racing Monday to save Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris after a colossal fire caused the spire of the historic edifice to crash to the ground and wiped out centuries of heritage.
The fire already destroyed the roof of the 850 year old UNESCO world heritage landmark, whose spectacular gothic spire collapsed before the eyes of horrified onlookers on a previously pristine early spring evening.
The fire, which came as Catholics prepare to celebrate Easter, sent orange flames and clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky as stunned Parisians and tourists watched on in horror.
Some were in tears, others offered prayers from the banks of the river Seine as the inferno devoured the cathedral.
As darkness fell, some 400 firefighters battled against the odds to control the fire and save at least its iconic front towers which were still standing.
"This is really sad - the saddest thing I've ever stood and watched in my life," said British tourist Sam Ogden, a 50-year-old onlooker, who had come to visit the cathedral with her family.
Gasps and cries of "Oh my god" erupted around an hour after the fire first broke out when the top portion of the church's spire came crashing down.
- 'France is Notre Dame' -
The cause of the blaze was not immediately confirmed. The cathedral had been undergoing intense restoration work which the fire service said could be linked to the blaze.
Last week, dramatic footage had shown workers removing 16 copper statues from the spire which was undergoing a revamp financed by the state and private donors.
Historians expressed incredulity at the collapse of a building that has been a symbol of France for almost a millenium and withstood war and revolution.
(Excerpt) Read more at afp.com ...
Hiding behind his mommy-wifes apron.
Exactly. And also, a drop from a higher altitude is also used to mitigate impact.
The great cathedrals are places of power. The lives invested in building them, maintaining them and worshiping within them gave them power. Sad that this one has been brought low. I’m sure there are many in France who recognized that power and wished to take it away for their own purposes.
Macron is talking about rebuilding NotreDame to reflect the new diversity of France.
Macron is going to rebuild it as the Church of the Supreme Being?
His old friend Maximilien would be a big help.
Macron is going to stir up the yellow jacket nest if he keeps talking like that.
President Trump’s idea is a good one, theynay not have the equipment. We have the means due to our expansive forests and firefighting
Mosque on one end, Cathedral on the other...
You’re probably correct.
Beginnings of the One World Religion.
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand,
even when steeples are falling.
Crumbled have spires in every land;
bells still are chiming and calling,
calling the young and old to rest,
but above all the souls distressed,
longing for rest everlasting.
UPDATE:The Paris prosecutors’ office says investigators are treating the
blaze that destroyed part of Notre Dame as an accident for now.
The structure of Notre Dame cathedral has been saved; fire not spreading
to northern belfry.
The prosecutors’ office said late Monday they have ruled out arson in
Monday’s fire, including possible terror-related motives for starting
the blaze.
Prosecutors say Paris police will conduct an investigation into
“involuntary destruction caused by fire.”
https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/40309500/arson-ruled-out
“races to... ”
I just heard it took two hours to get to the fire...WTH??/
BINGO!
You would think the city would already have been on high alert since
it had a vested interest in the site as a major tourist attraction or
the insurance company would have had inspectors crawling over every inch
of the renovation work day and night.
This event will either snap Europe out of it's zombie march into hell
or the de-civilization will continue.
7
The Notre-Dame had previously been referred to as a “forest” because
of the more than 13,000 oak trees that were cut to construct its roof.
https://www.thisisinsider.com/notre-dame-cathedral-paris-fire-2019-4
A fire happened.
“The prosecutors office said late Monday they have ruled out arson in Mondays fire, including possible terror-related motives for starting the blaze.”
Absurd! Any credible arson investigator will tell you it’s premature to make any determination about origin of the fire...Embers aren’t even cool...Then again...
Even IF the French fire investigation authorities conduct a proper and thorough investigation it is still possible the seat(s) of origin may never be determined for certain...The amount of structural damage and water used will make it difficult to determine point(s) of origin, especially if they were in the upper areas of the structure as has been suggested...
Curious why authorities are so quick to rule out arson? Who might the French people suspect?
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