Mysterious Fire Breaks Out In Notre Dame of Rouen Cathedral

A mysterious fire broke out at the Notre Dame of Rouen Cathedral in northern France today.

The fire first broke out in the spire of the historic cathedral, causing heavy black smoke to fill the air.

According to reports, the vicinity where the fire broke out is where the spire was undergoing renovation work.

The city’s mayor, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, in a post wrote, ‘A fire has started on the spire of Rouen Cathedral. Origin unknown at this stage. All public resources are mobilized.’

Take a look at the scene:

🚨BREAKING:

The 1000-year-old Notre-Dame cathedral in Rouen is on fire. Authorities say it could be a religious attack. pic.twitter.com/jdPxYjdBMM

— Europe Invasion (@EuropeInvasionn) July 11, 2024

BREAKING:

The fire in the spire of the Notre Dame Cathedral in the French city of Rouen continues to spread.

The nearly 1000 year old Gothic cathedral and one of France’s most beloved cultural heritage sites is in danger

🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/Pub9niTMBX

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 11, 2024

Here’s what The Daily Mail reported:

A mystery fire broke out in at Rouen Cathedral in northern France today as visitors were told to evacuate the ancient place of worship.

Thick black smoke was filmed pouring out of its main spire in the late morning, in an area where renovation work was taking place.

‘Fire engines are at the scene, and the cathedral has been evacuated,’ said an emergency services spokesman.

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The city’s mayor, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, took to X to say: ‘A fire has started on the spire of Rouen Cathedral. Origin unknown at this stage. All public resources are mobilised.’

Local media reported that 33 fire engines and 63 firefighters were at the scene, which has been cordoned off. Public transport in the city of around 110,000 people was severely disrupted.

The cause of the fire still remains unknown at this point. It has since been brought under control.

🚨#BREAKING: The spire of Notre-Dame cathedral In Rouen, France is engulfed in flames. pic.twitter.com/twgGn5w3Dz

— World Source News 24/7 (@Worldsource24) July 11, 2024

Per CBS:

The famous medieval cathedral in the city of Rouen in western France was evacuated Thursday when a fire broke out in the spire. The Notre Dame of Rouen Cathedral is undergoing renovations and video from the scene showed thick smoke rising from the spire, which is partially covered in scaffolding.

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Fire trucks raced to the scene to save the cathedral, made famous by impressionist painter Claude Monet who depicted the imposing structure in a series of paintings in the 1890s, and the fire was brought under control in about an hour and a half.

Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, the Mayor of Rouen, which is in France’s northern Normandy region, said no one was injured.

A security perimeter was set up around the large cathedral, which was built starting almost 1,000 years ago.

It’s unclear how the fire started, but The Associated Press quoted firefighter Stephane Gouezec as saying crews were still working to ensure there were no “hot spots,” but that the risk of it spreading was low as it was in an area with mostly metal structure.