Reports are starting to emerge about why the fire, that ripped through he wooden roof of the Notre Dame Cathedral, began in the first place.
While they don’t know for sure yet, signs seem to point toward the elevators used in the renovation of the very old cathedral:
NY POST – A “computer glitch” may have been behind the fast-spreading fire that ravaged Notre Dame, the cathedral’s rector said Friday, as architects and construction workers tried to figure out how to stabilize the damaged structure and protect it from the elements.
Speaking during a meeting of local business owners, rector Patrick Chauvet did not elaborate on the exact nature of the glitch, adding that “we may find out what happened in two or three months.”
On Thursday, Paris police investigators said they think an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire.
The Parisien newspaper has reported that investigators are considering whether the fire could be linked to a computer glitch or related to temporary elevators used in the renovation that was underway at the time the cathedral caught fire. Chauvet said there were fire alarms throughout the building, which he described as “well protected.”
Charlotte Hubert, president of a group of French architects who specialize in historic monuments, told BFM television that experts plan to spread a custom-made peaked tarpaulin across the cathedral’s roof, with enough space to also shield workers rebuilding the frame.
With the heavy number of attacks on Catholic churches around France in the last two months, some are still expecting the analysis to reveal the fire began because of a plot against the church. And that may yet still happen.
But as of right now it doesn’t seem like that’s the case and honestly, a malfunction with the renovation elevators would make sense considering the fire began on the roof.
In a related story, there is more good news related to the fire:
Top French art conservation officials say the works inside Notre Dame suffered no major damage in the fire that devastated the cathedral, and the pieces have been removed from the building for their protection.
Isabelle Palot-Frossat of the center for research at the French Museums said neither fire, nor soot, nor water reached inside the cathedral’s walls. The fierce fire Monday evening was concentrated on the cathedral’s roof and destroyed its famous spire.
Judith Kagan of the French Culture Ministry said that many of the artworks span several meters (yards) across and were being transported to a secure location.
That’s amazing. I know we’ve all seen pictures of the insider of the cathedral since the fire, but I still remember thinking that the cathedral wasn’t going to survive as I watched the fire blaze.
It’s a great relief that so much, including the famous stained glass windows, survived the fire.
