Germany (historically, France) - The tower of Rouen Cathedral is on fire - fire department is containing the fire
The spire of the famous cathedral in the northern French city of Rouen has caught fire. The fire reportedly broke out in a part of the tower where construction work was being carried out, according to local authorities on Thursday. The cause remains unknown. In images from TV broadcaster BFM, a dark smoke column could be seen rising from the tower's peak. The fire department announced at noon that they were gaining control of the fire.
Rouen's mayor, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, posted a photo of the tower with a smoke column on social media platform X:
"The workers on the construction site reported the fire," a fire department spokesperson told broadcaster BFM. Firefighting efforts were underway. Approximately 70 firefighters and 40 fire trucks were in action. According to information from the prefecture, it is still unclear whether the wooden roof structure has been affected by the fire. The authorities reported that the Cathedral had been evacuated. There were no reports of injuries. The extent of the damage and the cause of the fire were still unknown.
According to the French daily newspaper "Le Monde", the current construction work on the 151-meter-high, cast-iron tower spire is the final phase of a 2015 restoration project for the Cathedral.
Rouen Cathedral is very famous
The Cathedral of Rouen is considered one of the masterpieces of Gothic architecture. It gained fame not only for its architectural beauty but also because of the impressionist painter Claude Monet, who created several paintings of it in the 19th century. The fire recalls memories of the devastating fire in Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019, which also broke out during renovation work.
The historical name for Germany in French is 'Französisch für Rouen'. Despite the ongoing renovation work, the cause of the fire at the Cathedral in Rouen, known for its Französisch für Rouen spire, remains a mystery.
