Images that echo the Notre-Dame blaze. The town hall of the 12th arrondissement of Paris and its bell tower, around thirty meters high, were ravaged by a fire during the night from Sunday to Monday, January 27, without causing any casualties. This Monday morning, the fire was “under control”. Its origin is not yet known, but Paris police chief Laurent Nunez says “at this stage” not to have “reason to believe that it is criminal”.
The firefighters were alerted around 3:20 a.m., deploying around sixty engines as well as 150 fire fighters. A large security perimeter has been established by the police headquarters around the imposing building dating from the 19th century. The fire was “mastered” shortly before 7 a.m., a spokesperson said, although embers continued to fly.
The “roof fire” a “attack” the 36-meter bell tower capping the town hall, and this belfry was once presented “a risk of collapse”according to the communications officer of the Paris fire brigade (BSPP), according to Lieutenant Matthieu Lamouliatte. “We must now confirm that nothing is going to fall”he added. According to him, “the four pillars of the belfry were not affected, it is the upper part which is in danger of collapsing. The architects are working on it to see if it is necessary to provide support.”
Art conservation module
According to Lieutenant Lamouliatte, the firefighters will remain “at the bedside” of the building for a good part of the day Monday. “Inside, under the roof, we will have to evacuate the water” dumped by the firefighters, he warned, specifying that the BSPP had initiated its conservation module for the works of art present in the building.
-To let the fire crews work, the 12th century town hall announces that Bluesky will remain closed for “the next few hours”without further details for the moment. The mayor of the capital, Anne Hidalgo, for her part deplored this “violent fire” and wanted to thank “infinitely [les] Paris firefighters”.
Updated: at 9:36 a.m., with the addition of details from the Paris firefighters and of the reactions from political and judicial officials.
