Parts of Notre Dame Cathedral Saved From Total Loss by Fire (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Paris’ iconic Notre Dame Cathedral was saved from total destruction by fire officials after a massive fire engulfed the 865-year-old Catholic church on Monday.
Parts of Notre Dame Cathedral saved from total loss by fireThe basic structure of the building was saved but the historic church suffered extensive damages, fire officials said, AJC reported.
Earlier Monday, the massive blaze destroyed the 315-foot spire on the top of the medieval Gothic cathedral and spread to one of the building’s landmark rectangular towers.
As French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, French billionaire François-Henri Pinault pledged the equivalent of $113 million toward that goal, according to news outlets.
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to rebuild the landmark.
“This Notre-Dame cathedral, we will rebuild it. All together. It's part of our French destiny. I commit myself: tomorrow a national subscription will be launched, and well beyond our borders,” he said in a social media post Monday evening.
Pinault is the CEO of the French luxury group Kering and Rennes soccer club.
He said he planned to provide the funding through Artemis, his family’s investment firm, according to AFP.
The fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral is now under control, Paris police officials told reporters late Monday.
The blaze burned for hours and destroyed a significant part of the historic building, but it was not a total loss, according to fire officials.
The cause of the fire, which is under investigation, may be linked to the renovation of the spire, which collapsed as it caught fire, according to The Associated Press.
Paris officials have launched an investigation into how the huge fire that nearly destroyed the Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday first started.
The building was undergoing renovations and the blaze, which spread quickly, may have started in an attic at the church.
While hundreds of fire crews were able to prevent the total destruction of one of Europe’s greatest landmarks, the devastation to the building was massive.
The cultural treasure drew some 13 million visitors a year, according to Paris officials.
