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Fire at Notre-Dame de Paris: five years later, the mystery still hovers over the origin of the fire
Fire at Notre-Dame de Paris: five years later, the mystery still hovers over the origin of the fire
(France 2)
Five years after the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, reconstruction is progressing. But what do we know today about the origin of the fire? The investigation is struggling to progress.
On April 15, 2019, Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral burst into flames, before the eyes of stunned Parisians and tourists. What happened to cause the fire to spread to the point where it almost reduced the cathedral to ashes? Five years later, justice is still looking for answers. New assessments are underway, in particular to analyze all the seals a second time. “New analyzes can be done with new processes, since science is constantly evolving”explains Serge Delhaye, legal expert, specializing in fires.
Investigation still ongoing
Investigators were on the job the day after the fire, and took hundreds of samples under thousands of cubic meters of rubble. The criminal trail was quickly ruled out. The 15 workers who were on the spire restoration site were interviewed over three days. First suspected of having smoked and improperly extinguished their cigarette butt, they were exonerated.
The fire started precisely on this construction site, equipped with temporary electrical installations. For Laurent Valdiguié, a journalist who investigated the disaster, this is the avenue that seems the most likely. The investigation is still ongoing and no hypothesis has been definitively ruled out.
