A French fire official said that the famed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has been saved from "total destruction," after a huge blaze tore through the historic building on Monday and led to the collapse of the main spire and roof.
The official said that a pair of the familiar rectangle-shaped towers were spared, after earlier reports quoted a French Interior Ministry official as saying the cathedral might not be able to be saved. An official estimated that after the fire broke out, it could take seven hours to contain the blaze. According to an official, one firefighter was "seriously injured."
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement, "The worst has been avoided, but the battle isn't fully won yet." He added, "We will rebuild the cathedral together." (CNBC)
- Donald Trump tweeted that perhaps planes should drop water on the cathedral, but experts later said that would make it collapse.
- The fire started just days before Easter.
- Macron said that France will launch an international fundraising campaign to collect money for the renovations.
- The office of the Paris prosecutor launched an investigation into the fire. Initial findings suggest the fire was started by accident.
- By coincidence, 16 religious statues were removed from the cathedral for cleaning on Thursday, so they were saved from the fire.