ZCZC
BFF-57
FRANCE-FIRE-NOTRE-DAME-UPDATE
Workers questioned over Notre-Dame inferno as donations pour in
PARIS, April 16, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – French investigators probing the
devastating blaze at Notre-Dame Cathedral questioned workers who were
renovating the monument on Tuesday as hundreds of millions of euros were
pledged to restore the historic masterpiece.
As firefighters put out the last smouldering embers, a host of French
billionaires and companies stepped forward with offers of cash worth around
600 million euros ($680 million) to remake the iconic structure.
Most of the roof has been destroyed, the steeple has collapsed and an
unknown number of artifacts and paintings have been lost. The main organ,
which had close to 8,000 pipes, has also suffered damage.
But the walls, bell towers and the most famous circular stained-glass
windows at France’s most visited tourist attraction remain intact, leading
the vicar general Philippe Marsset to call it “more than miraculous”.
“We’re all just dumbfounded. It’s more than miraculous, it’s heroic,”
Marsset said, who paid tribute to the more than 400 firefighters who toiled
through the night.
Junior interior minister Laurent Nunez told reporters at the scene that
work to secure the structure would be take place into Thursday which would
enable firefighters to go inside to remove any remaining artifacts and
artworks.
Though “some weaknesses” in the 850-year-old structure had been identified,
overall it is “holding up OK”, he added.
The Paris fire service announced that the last remnants of the blaze were
extinguished Tuesday 15 hours after the fire broke out.
Ongoing renovation work on the steeple, where workers were replacing its
lead covering, is widely suspected to have caused the inferno after the blaze
broke out in an area under scaffolding.
Investigators interviewed witnesses overnight and began speaking to the
employees of five different construction companies which were working on the
monument, said public prosecutor Remy Heitz.
“Nothing indicates this was a deliberate act,” Heitz told reporters, adding
that 50 investigators had been assigned to what he expected to be a “long and
complex” case.
The architect in charge of the renovation project slated to last until 2022
said that no workers were on the site when the flames first appeared shortly
before 7 pm (1700 GMT) on Monday. – ‘Epicentre of our life’ –
French President Emmanuel Macron struck a defiant tone on Monday night as
he visited the scene with his wife Brigitte, telling reporters: “We will
rebuild Notre-Dame because it is what the French expect.”
He described the cathedral as the “epicentre of our life”.
MORE/AFP/ARS/2025 hrs
ZCZC
BFF-58
FRANCE-FIRE-NOTRE-DAME-UPDATE 2 LAST PARIS
A public appeal for funds drew immediate support from French billionaires
and other private donors as well countries including Germany, Italy and
Russia which offered their expertise.
French billionaire Bernard Arnault and his LVMH luxury conglomerate, rival
high-end designer goods group Kering, Total oil company and cosmetics giant
L’Oreal each pledged 100 million euros or more.
The privately run French Heritage Foundation launched a call for donations
on its website — www.fondation-patrimoine.org — and several pages were also
set up on the Leetchi fundraising portal.
Specialised craftsmen and rare materials are expected to be needed to
restore Notre-Dame, which is seen as an emblem of France and, more broadly, a
symbol of Western civilisation which has survived revolutions and war.
“We have everything to be able to rebuild it in exactly the same way,”
Culture Minister Franck Riester told France Inter, adding that the government
was looking at ways to encourage donations.
– Full losses unknown –
Thousands of Parisians and tourists watched in horror from nearby streets
on Monday as flames engulfed the building and rescuers tried to save as much
as they could of the cathedral’s treasures built up over centuries.
Many more travelled Tuesday to the banks of the river Seine to gaze up at
where the roof and steeple once stood.
A firefighter suffered injuries during the blaze, which at one point
threatened to bring down one of the two monumental towers on the western
facade of the cathedral that is visited by around 13 million tourists each
year.
The Holy Crown of Thorns, believed to have been worn by Jesus at his
crucifixion, was saved by firefighters, as was a sacred tunic worn by 13th-
century French king Louis IX.
Rescuers formed a human chain at the site of the disaster on Monday night
to bring out as many artifacts as possible which have been stocked
temporarily at the Paris town hall.
Some damaged paintings will be sent to the Louvre museum, a world centre
for restoration.
The sense of shock at the damage was palpable in France and stirred
reactions from governments across the world.
In a rare statement, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II said she was “deeply
saddened”, while Pope Francis sent his hopes that Notre-Dame “may once again
become, thanks to reconstruction work and the mobilisation of all, a jewel in
the heart of the city.”
The cathedral has figured as a central character through the ups and downs
of French history since construction began in mid-12th century — and has
featured in countless books and movies.
Bells at cathedrals across France were set to ring out on Wednesday night
at 6:50 pm (1650 GMT) in tribute.
BSS/AFP/ARS/2029 hrs