A terrible blaze devastates Notre Dame cathedral

THEY GATHERED on the bridges over the Seine to watch in disbelief. Some Parisians were in tears; most watched in eerie silence. The devastating fire that broke out in the wood-timbered roof of the gothic cathedral of Notre Dame in the early evening of April 15th rapidly spread before their eyes, consuming the central spire and defeating the efforts of fire-fighters to bring the flames under control. President Emmanuel Macron, spoke for many across France when he tweeted that he was witnessing “part of us burn.”

By midnight in Paris the worst seemed to be over. The main stone structure appeared to have been saved, and the prompt action of hundreds of fire-fighters had rescued many works of art and relics from the burning building. But as well as the medieval oak-beamed roof and the later-built spire, the damage to the interior has been immense.