#BreakingNews Historic Cathedral in Rouen, France, is Damaged by Fire

Another historic cathedral in France has sustained some damage following a fire on July 11, 2024. The cathedral has been evacuated and emergency services are on site but the cause of fire still unknown.

The tower of the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral in Rouen (Normandy - Northern part of France) is burning. This is reported by French media. Images show dark clouds of smoke rising from a part of the tower where construction work is currently taking place;about 120 meters (about 400 feet) above the ground. The mayor and the responsible prefecture have not yet received any reports of any injuries. There are currently no indications of the cause of the fire. The fire appears to have started on Thursday afternoon. The images bring back unpleasant memories of the catastrophic fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The French Ministry of Culture, as noted by the newspaper Le Figaro said the fire was caused by “mishandling by workers."

LeMonde reported, 63 firefighters and 33 fire engines participated in the effort and. Authorities announced they had “brought the fire under control” in under two hours after an alert at noon local time.

According to reports this fire comes as France has suffered hundreds of fires and vandalisms at churches in the country, as shown by this map which displays the number of churches affected since 2016:

The fire service is conducting a major operation. The cathedral has now been evacuated. The emergency services are on site and are caring for the people affected. The police are calling on people to avoid the affected area and to observe the security cordons.

According to the latest information, the fire brigade seems to have already got the fire under control.

History of the Rouen Cathedral

In 1145, Archbishop Hugues d'Amiens wanted to have a stone cathedral. He began construction of the current Gothic cathedral. The faithful humbly came to harness themselves to the heavy carts to help the workers build the house of God.
The Saint Romain Tower , the façade , and part of the nave were built when, in 1200, a fire destroyed the Romanesque choir where the service was still celebrated. Work resumed immediately and the nave was able to accommodate the King of France, Philippe Auguste, in 1204!
Around 1250, the cathedral was completed.
However, very quickly, new construction sites opened in the cathedral: it was wanted to be bigger, more beautiful, better lit. The work would last 3 centuries!
Damaged during the Wars of Religion and the Revolution, Notre-Dame de Rouen nearly got destroyed by bombs and fire during the Second World War . Very recently, the cathedral suffered from the storm of December 26, 1999 , losing one of its bell towers which severely damaged the vault and the stalls in its fall. Always, there were courageous men to save it, to raise it, to give it new life in the heart of the city.