Fire breaks out on Rouen cathedral spire in France
July 11 (UPI) -- A fire broke out Thursday on a tarp covering the spire on France's Notre-Dame de Rouen cathedral about 70 miles from Paris.
Prefect of Normandy and Sein-Maritime officials said on X, that the cathedral was evacuated.
"Emergency services are on site, a security perimeter has been established. Please avoid the area and do not obstruct emergency lines," they said.
Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol said on X that the origin of the fire was not immediately known and that "all public resources" were being mobilized.
Rouen official Caroline Dutarte said the fire was under control and that the tarp was in place for renovation work.
"There doesn't seem to be too much damage and, above all, no one was injured," she said.
Construction on the cathedral started in the 12th century.
The medieval cathedral was featured in Claude Monet paintings in the 1890s. The spire is the tallest in France at nearly 500 feet tall.
"Monet painted more than thirty views of Rouen Cathedral in 1892-93. Moving from one canvas to another as each day progressed, he painted the facade with highly textured brushstrokes that convey the aspect of sculpted stone and make the atmosphere and light palpable. Monet later finished the works in his studio at Giverny, carefully adjusting the pictures both independently and in relation to each other," according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
In 2019 a more serious fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris nearly destroyed the building.
The restoration group Friends of Notre Dame declared in September 2021 that the cathedral was stabilized and saved and restoration work commenced.
It is set to re-open in December.
