What caused the Notre Dame fire in Paris, was anyone hurt and how much has been raised for the cathedral to be restored?

NOTRE Dame cathedral was ravaged by a catastrophic fire that started under the eaves of the roof on April 15, 2019.

For the past five years a multitude of talented craftspeople have been rebuilding the iconic Gothic building — which will serve as a beautiful backdrop to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Notre Dame Cathedral was hit by a massive inferno, that destroyed part of the iconic buildingEPA

What started the Notre Dame fire?

Fifty investigators were assigned to probe the origin of the fire which ravaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019.

An electrical short-circuit was the most likely cause of the Notre Dame cathedral fire, investigators believed initially.

Detectives began interviewing the specialist restorers who were carrying out work on the church’s spire right away, even as hundreds of firefighters tackled the historic blaze, battling to stop it wreaking destruction of the treasured facade.

The world-famous cathedral’s 12th century spire was consumed by the fire — which raged for more than 12 hours — and collapsed into the church as the mammoth blaze tore through the wooden structure supporting the 210-tonne lead roof.

Thankfully the facade and twin medieval bell towers were saved, along with many of the cathedral’s “precious treasures” including a relic revered as Jesus’ Crown of Thorns.

Attention was focused on what may have caused the landmark, part of which was being restored, to fall victim to such a disaster.

At the time, Le Monde in Paris reported that while it was “too early” to establish the cause of the fire, it’s believed that it started in the attic before quickly gaining hold of the roof, including the spire.

French officials reported that it may have been linked to the £5million renovation work that was taking place on the cathedral’s roof and spire.

 

The restoration of the iconic spire and lead roof was the first phase of the massive 20-year renovation project that began in July 2018 with the installation of 500-tonne scaffolding.

Staff from Le Bras Freres (Le Bras Brothers) — one of five hired to work on renovations — were among about 30 people questioned by investigators as part of a criminal inquiry.

Le Monde said that the blaze took hold in the framework, which dated back to the 13th century and was “nicknamed the forest because of the large number of trees used to built it”.

Power had not been installed in the frame, however.

Le Moniteur carried a quote by an expert from the National Centre for Prevention and Protection saying that as materials, such as welding equipment used for the renovation work were “used in confined spaces, combustion will initially be slow and difficult to detect due to lack of oxygen”.

An aerial shot shows how the fire ripped through the centuries-old roofThe Mega Agency

Notre Dame’s fire alarm went off 23 minutes before staff found the blaze raging out of control.

The Paris prosecutors’ office said cops would carry out an investigation into “involuntary destruction caused by fire”, indicating authorities were treating the blaze as a tragic accident.

Arson, including possible terror-related motives, was ruled out earlier.

Le Monde reported that the installation of the scaffolding was “about to be completed on Monday when a fire broke out in the attic”.

A “stray flame” is thought to have sparked the fire in the loft at 6.43pm local time.

“It appears that it all began as a relatively small fire linked to a stray flame in the roof,” said an emergency services source.

“The fire was so high up that it was difficult to get to, meaning it soon spread across the roof, causing a terrible blaze.”

In June 2019, the Paris public prosecutor’s office released their preliminary findings, saying there was no indication the blaze was started deliberately.

They then proposed two hypotheses to explain the disaster — an improperly extinguished cigarette or electrical short circuit.

As of July 2024, no definitive answer to the question of what started the fire has been reported.

Firefighters trying to extinguish the out-of-control blaze on April 15AP:Associated Press

Was anyone hurt?

There were no deaths, but a firefighter was seriously injured tackling the blaze, along with two police officers.

The fire started in the early evening, minutes after the building had been closed to tourists.

Firefighters evacuated the area around the cathedral in the centre of Paris, as well as nearby buildings.

A fire department spokesman said: “We are not aware of any casualties, or of anyone being trapped, so there will be no emergency rescue plans being put into action.”

There was huge distress among Parisians, with one telling Le Monde at the time: “It’s as if we had lost a loved one.”

How much has been raised for the cathedral to be restored?

Wealthy donors dug deep to pay for the rebuilding of Notre Dame, with one billion Euros (£866m) raised so far.

Salma Hayek’s husband, billionaire French fashion mogul Francois-Henri Pinault pledged €100million (£86m) towards the effort. He heads a group which owns brands including Gucci and Alexander McQueen.

French billionaire Bernard Arnault’s family and his LVMH luxury goods group donated €200million (£172.8m) to help repair Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral.

Cosmetics giant L’Oréal joined the Bettencourt Meyers family and the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation to pledge €200million (£173m).

French oil giant Total has donated €100million (£87m), and Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, provided an unspecified donation.

The United Nations cultural agency said on the day the fire started that it would help France “save and restore” the “priceless heritage”.

The Heritage Foundation in France opened an online donation page, with further campaigns swiftly launched in the US as well-wishers around the world pledged contributions via social media.

The Vatican offered its restoration expertise to help rebuild the fire-damaged landmark.

On April 18, 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Pope Francis was planning a visit to France, saying: “I spoke to the Pope yesterday by telephone. I obviously invited him to come over, and he will come at a time of his suiting.”

There were no deaths, but a firefighter was seriously injured tackling the blaze

Was there any insurance?

On April 16, 2019, French insurance firm AXA said  it provided insurance coverage for two of the contracting firms that were working on Notre-Dame’s restoration.

An AXA spokesman declined to estimate the company’s potential liabilities associated with the damage caused.

The French insurer also said it provided insurance coverage for some of the relics and religious artworks displayed in the cathedral.

AXA said its staff were cooperating fully with investigators.

How much of the cathedral was saved?

Addressing the nation the day tragedy unfolded, Mr Macron said: “Notre Dame is our history, our literature, our collective imagination, the place where we have lived all our great moments, our wars and our liberations.

“It is the epicentre of our life… the cathedral of all the French people… I am telling you now, solemnly, that we will rebuild her.

“We will call upon the greatest talents to contribute to her reconstruction … It is what the French expect of us, it is what our history deserves; it is, in the deepest sense, our destiny.”

General Jean-Claude Gallet, commander of the Brigade of firefighters in Paris, said: “Two-thirds of the roof of Notre-Dame has been ravaged.”

Officials said the main structure of the building had been saved.

Although the building suffered extreme damage, a fire service spokesman said the two towers and the main structure of the cathedral were spared from complete destruction

Teams worked frantically to recover what treasures they could from the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece, which housed priceless artefacts and relics of huge religious and international significance.

A fire broke out at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, destroying the roof and its iconic spireBackGrid

Gilded candlesticks, artworks and furnishings were among the treasures seen being rushed from the cathedral by a “human chain” before being bundled into trucks by police officers.

Franck Riester, the French culture minister, tweeted that “Major parts of the treasure #NotreDame are now safe at the Paris City Hall”.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo added: “The Crown of thorns, the tunic of Saint Louis and several other major works are now in a safe place.”

Despite fire racing through Notre Dame’s roof, brave firefighters were able to prevent the blaze consuming the cathedral’s main structure, including its two bell towers.

There were hopes that the three famous rose windows, which date back to the 13th century, avoided catastrophic damage, while the bells that have rung out at key moments in France’s history were thought to be safe.

Le Monde reported that “some” of the windows exploded under the effect of the heat, “but the large Rose du Midi overlooking the Seine, a masterpiece of the 13th century, seems to have been preserved”.

On December 8, 2023, an emotional Philippe Villeneuve, the architect-in-chief for the reconstruction, said: “I’ve got news for you, put it in your diaries: Notre Dame will reopen on 8 December 2024, at 11.15am sharp.

“We are so impatient to see the spire ascend into the sky of Paris again.”

The upsetting moment that the spire collapsed in the devastating fireAFP or licensors

What is the history of Notre Dame Cathedral?

Notre Dame Cathedral was built over the course of a century, starting in 1160 and completed in 1260.

It’s said to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in Europe, and has been modified many times since.

The Cathedral survived being ransacked by rioting Huguenots in the 16th century, and pillaging during the French Revolution of the 1790s.

The name of the monument means “Our Lady” and it is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris.

The architectural marvel was the main setting for Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1831, which lead to a renewed interest in the building.

The cathedral is now visited by about 13 million people every year — more than 30,000 daily on average.

Inside the cathedral, smoke could be seen rising from the smouldering remains of the Notre Dame’s roof and spire after a fire broke out on April 15BackGrid

Firefighters on-site on Tuesday, April 16