The fire lasted almost fifteen hours. Paris Cathedral was engulfed in flames from the evening of April 15, 2019 until the morning of April 16. At the same time as the impressive images, rumors circulated about the causes of the tragedy. More than five years later, a few days before the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, the investigation is still not completed. But criminal intent remains ruled out.
Images that went around the world
On April 15, 2019, around 6:30 p.m., Parisians saw flames emerging from the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris. The famous “forest”, the oak frame from the Middle Ages, was devoured by fire. At 7:50 p.m., in a particularly spectacular event, the spire located in the center of the building collapsed at the same time as a significant part of the roof.
Images of the flames emerging from this emblematic monument visited by twelve to thirteen million people each year, immediately made the rounds on the Internet. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, even reacted on Twitter. During the night, a question kept Internet users around the world in suspense, and viewers behind their screens as well as witnesses to the scene. Would the towers hold? It was at the risk of their lives that several firefighters climbed into the north belfry to put out the flames. One of them was seriously injured.
Around 4 a.m., the fire was brought under control and definitely turned off around 10 a.m. The heritage conversation services worked with the Paris firefighters to evacuate the works of art. Preserved in the neo-Gothic sacristy, the Treasure of Notre-Dame de Paris, which notably contains the crown of thorns, was able to be saved. But the great organ was badly damaged by water. As for the furniture from the time of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, it was destroyed.
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