Notre Dame Is On Fire, And Its Spire Has Collapsed
Well, Disney has really fucked up now. 856-year-old Notre Dame cathedral in Paris is on fire and the spire has collapsed. I didn’t even know that The Hunchback Of Notre Dame was on their list of live action remakes but this shit has really gotten out of hand. According to BBC, nobody is quite sure what caused the fire yet (some think renovation work is the cause), but it’s definitely not because France decided to choose its own Pope. In all seriousness, it’s a terrifying scene and “a major operation is under way to tackle the blaze”.
Here’s the sad scene:
Used to bike past it on my way to school sometimes 🙁 #NotreDame
— Ramy (@rallahoum) April 15, 2019
This is just sad you know. For the history, the beauty of this monument, the iconography, the culture. #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/ELB7rk3d8B
— maya (@me___maya) April 15, 2019
Notre Dame's spire collapses into the flames. Video from Nicolas Marang. https://t.co/YviNeit9Rb pic.twitter.com/6LPq3Ne9Aq
— Harold Gater (@haroldgater) April 15, 2019
According to BBC:
The cause was not immediately clear, but officials say that it could be linked to renovation work.
Last year, the Catholic Church in France launched an urgent appeal for funds to save the cathedral, which was starting to crumble.
A major operation is under way to tackle the blaze, which broke out on Monday afternoon. An area surrounding the building in central Paris has been cleared, officials said.
Of course Trump had to pipe in with his unsolicited advice.
So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2019
I’m sure they’ll get right on that Donny, as soon as they finish their coffee, brush off all their croissant crumbs, and have a second coffee and a cigarette.
Much of the cathedral is covered in scaffolding due to ongoing renovations to cracking stone that threatened the structure’s stability. Still, the deliciously Gothic old dame receives millions of visitors every year and is, obviously, one of Paris’ top tourist attractions. President Macron cancelled a scheduled speech because of the tragedy, and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, warned visitors to stay clear of the area.
Un terrible incendie est en cours à la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. Les @PompiersParis sont en train de tenter de maîtriser les flammes. Nous sommes mobilisés sur place en lien étroit avec le @dioceseParis. J'invite chacune et chacun à respecter le périmètre de sécurité. pic.twitter.com/9X0tGtlgba
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) April 15, 2019
Hopefully we’ll know more about how the fire started before the inevitable nutjob conspiracy theories gain any traction.
UPDATE: Laurent Nunez, secretary to the interior minister, said in a statement that both towers are safe and the fire is weaker and cooling off.
Pic: Twitter