A fire erupted on a tarp covering the spire of the famed Rouen cathedral in Rouen, northwest France, city officials said on Thursday.
Footage from the scene showed a thick cloud of smoke rising from the cathedral, which is located about 70 miles from Paris. The gothic cathedral was undergoing renovation works, and its spire was covered with scaffolding.
"The cathedral was evacuated. Emergency services are on site, a security perimeter has been established," local officials said on X, formerly Twitter, urging the public to avoid the area.
Firefighters later told French news network BFMTV that the fire had been contained. They said they are working to secure the building and ensure there are no "hot spots" left.
The cause of the fire remains unclear. No casualties have been reported.
The Context
Construction of the famous Gothic cathedral dates back to the 12th century. It inspired many of the paintings of French impressionist artist Claude Monet in the 19th century.
What We Know
The fire was reported at around 12 p.m. local time to emergency services by construction workers who were on-site at the cathedral, according to BFMTV.
"It was the construction workers who reported the start of the disaster to us," firefighters said.
Fire brigade chief Stephane Gouezec told local TV channels before the fire was reported to be contained that a large number of firefighters worked to control the blaze, Reuters reported.
"We reached the site of the fire about half an hour ago now, and we are in the process of making sure the fire is out," said Gouezec, noting that 70 firefighters and about 40 fire engines worked to tackle the fire.
"We will still need some time, perhaps an hour or so, to make sure there are no hot spots left in the area."
Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol shared an image on X that showed the cathedral shortly after the fire broke out.
"Start of fire in progress on the spire of the cathedral of @Rouen. Origin unknown at this stage. All public resources are mobilized," his post said, translated from French.
Caroline Dutarte, a city official, was quoted by The New York Times as saying that just a tarp covering the cathedral's spire due to ongoing renovation work had caught fire.
"There doesn't seem to be too much damage and, above all, no one was injured," she said, adding that the fire was under control.
Views
Some social media users drew parallels between the fire and the blaze that damaged the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019.
"One more day, one more church burning. This time in Notre Dame Cathedral in the French city of Rouen. How long before no more churches are left in France?" one X user said, sharing a video of the fire.
"The spire of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Rouen on fire. Another Gothic monument in flames," another said.
What's Next?
Local officials said firefighters are continuing to surveil the cathedral.
Update 7/11/24, 9:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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