Notre Dame, the day after the fire. Minister Riester: works are damaged but safe

The large fire that broke out in the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was put out around first light. Among those who responded, there were three minor injuries (two policemen and a firefighter), according to the Paris Fire Department. Contrary to what was thought at the height of the disaster, the structure has held up: however, said Secretary of State for the Interior, Laurent Nunez, there is uncertainty about how the structure will hold up in the coming hours. Expert meetings are scheduled for the day to determine whether the structure is stable and how to take action to secure it. Along the same lines is France’s culture minister, Franck Riester, who in an interview with the France Inter news agency also took stock of the works of art(here is an in-depth look at the most valuable ones stored in the cathedral). “The main structure,” the minister said, “is safe, but there is still a lot of instability, and the situation is still precarious.” However, the minister declared himself cautious but at the same time optimistic: “The two towers and the works have been saved, especially the treasury [the set of liturgical objects, ed.], thanks to the courage of the Paris firefighters. The crown of thorns and the tunic of St. Louis are safe at the Hôtel de ville. The major organ was badly damaged, and the large altar blades suffered water damage: they will have to be restored.” Firefighters have been working tirelessly to get it done.

Huge sums will be needed for the restoration work, and the president of the French republic, Emmanuel Macron, after his speech in front of Notre-Dame in flames (he went to the site in the night, around 11 p.m., and declared: “I solemnly tell you that we, all of us together, will rebuild this cathedral”), announced the launch of a national subscription to raise funds, but at the same time Minister Riester said that “the state will ensure its share of responsibility” to rebuild the building (recall that Notre-Dame is state-owned): “it is a great drama,” he specified, “and the state will do what is necessary, but when there is a great energy, a will for solidarity, we must lean on this enthusiasm and avoid putting it aside: we need the whole world.” Indeed, many proposals have already arrived: overnight the Pinault family of entrepreneurs, owners of a holding company that controls several companies, including the Christie’s auction house, announced that they would provide 100 million euros, while the Arnault family (Louis Vuitton group) announced a donation of 200 million euros.

At mid-morning, shortly after 9:30 a.m., firefighters finally announced that the fire was completely extinguished and that 1,000 square meters of roofing had gone up in smoke. Until this morning, the main work consisted of trying to preserve the two facade towers from the fire, to also avoid the risk of them collapsing. This morning, firefighters will continue to guard the structure and extinguish any small outbreaks that may have remained in some part of the building. By now, however, we are already at the assessment stage, said Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Plus of the Paris Fire Department. “We have saved the towers,” he said, “they have been secured, and the stands have also been consolidated. But the center of the nave suffered enormously.” Again, Plus confirmed that “much of the collections have already gone out. Some of the large-scale works have been damaged but will be able to be restored.”

Pictured by Paris firefighters, Notre-Dame last night as soon as the fire broke out.

Notre Dame, the day after the fire. Minister Riester: works are damaged but safe

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