Images have emerged on social media showing the spire of the famous French cathedral, Rouen Cathedral, recently caught fire. There are several videos of the incident online.
The spire of Rouen Cathedral in France has caught fire, the mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Meyer-Rossignol, said. X-inthat Sky News to attest.
Images posted on social media showed flames shooting out of what appeared to be scaffolding near the roof of the landmark building with its three towers that date back hundreds of years of architectural history.
The Gothic cathedral is widely known for having been painted several times by French Impressionist painter Claude Monet in the 19th century.
Fire starts on cathedral tower @Rawan. The origin is unknown at this stage. All public resources are being mobilized. Thank you for facilitating their intervention. pic.twitter.com/Lnu1vMrw5p
— Nicolas Mayer Rossignol (@NicolasMayerNMR) July 11, 2024
Regional authorities said the cathedral had been evacuated and emergency services were at the scene, adding that the fire broke out in an area where construction work was underway. A security cordon was also put in place around the building.
Television footage from BFM TV showed a dark cloud of smoke rising from the tower, as people in the streets looked up in horror.
According to the report, there were 33 fire engines and 63 firefighters at the scene, and public transportation was disrupted.
Follow the index on Facebook too!
