The French authorities have launched an investigation into the fire that was ignited in the Nantes cathedral on Saturday, which destroyed the grand organ and knocked out its stain glass windows.
Breaking: Firefighters say the fire at Nantes Cathedral in France is contained. The organ of the cathedral is destroyed, but the roof is intact. Ouest France reports that arson is not being ruled out as fires started in multiple areas of the structure. pic.twitter.com/GWJSyY86JQ
— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) July 18, 2020
According to France 24, fire chief Laurent Ferlay said that 104 firefighters were dispatched to the scene to ensure that the fire was put out, but it took several hours to bring it under control.
Ferlay said that the 400-year-old grand organ and stained glass windows had been completely destroyed, but added that "we are not in Notre-Dame de Paris scenario. The roof has not been touched."
The Notre-Dame de Paris fire completely consumed one of France's most iconic landmarks in April 2019. No one has been arrested for the blaze, as the Paris prosecutor said there was no evidence of a deliberate act in its destruction.
Good news. They’ve put out the cathedral fire in Nantes. It is being treated as a criminal matter. pic.twitter.com/GYddQLjSZi
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 18, 2020
Although the damage to the Nantes cathedral was not as bad as many initially thought, Prosecutor Pierre Sennes that there was a total of three fires started and that the incident is now being treated as a criminal act, France 24 reported.
This is not the first time the Nantes cathedral had been partly destroyed. A 1972 fire destroyed the roof and in 1944 the cathedral was partly damaged after Allied bombings during World War II.
Authorities were notified about the fire on Saturday from Cecile Renaud, who was working at the bakery facing the cathedral, France 24 reported.
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