The spire of Rouen’s Notre-Dame Cathedral on fire

The building, which is under construction, has been evacuated. A security perimeter has been set up to allow firefighters to fight the flames. The origin of the fire is unknown at this time.

A “start of fire” [est] in progress on the spire of the cathedral of Rouen”announced Thursday July 11 the mayor (PS) of Rouen Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol on his X account, information confirmed by France Bleu Normandie. “There are no casualties, except for workers who inhaled smoke and who are being treated by the firefighters.”assures on franceinfo Monsignor Dominique Lebrun, archbishop of the diocese of Rouen, present on the scene. “The cathedral has been evacuated”declared the prefecture of Normandy and Seine-Maritime on X, which advises “to avoid the area and not to obstruct the emergency lines.”

The fire broke out late in the morning at about 120 meters high, at the level of the platform of the spire, covered with a white tarpaulin from work for several weeks. According to the mayor, the origin of the fire is “unknown at this stage. All public resources are being mobilized”he adds.

Objects on the platform and the white protective tarpaulin are on fire, France Bleu Normandie has noted, but the spire itself does not appear to be threatened by the flames. Around sixty firefighters are on site, with around thirty vehicles, according to France Bleu Normandie, and fire hoses.

Teams specializing in intervention in dangerous environments are also mobilized. It is not possible to access the Place de la Cathédrale, the police have established a security perimeter on the Place de la Cathédrale. Around 12:30 p.m., the smoke became less thick, describes France Bleu Normandie, revealing a huge hole in the tarpaulin. The building has been under construction since 2016. The spire of Notre-Dame de Rouen is the tallest in France. It peaks at 151 meters high.

“There is a race against time because we are halfway up the spire, which is made of metal, explains the archbishop of the diocese of Rouen. Water must be brought to the upper parts to extinguish this fire and to remove doubts about other parts of the cathedral.. Obviously, the fire is occurring in a place where workers decontaminate themselves when they leave work, This is what we see and what the fire brigade colonel seems to be saying,” adds Monsignor Dominique Lebrun.

As videos multiply on social networks, the archbishop shares the “great emotion for the staff of the archbishopric and for the population”. He adds that “the damage is significant” and “This will lead to examinations of what was damaged by the fire.”