By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
and wire services
President Carlos Alvarado posted a message of
sympathy to the French people on his Twitter
account after a destructive fire at Notre-Dame
Cathedral on Monday.
"Costa Rica stands in solidarity with France in
the face of the devastating fire that affects the
Cathedral of Notre Dame, an icon of the history of
that nation and Europe. This is one of the many
risks faced by the valuable architectural works we
have, we have inherited and we must preserve,"
said President Alvarado.
AFP reported that French firefighters won an
hours-long battle to save the main structure of
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, after a colossal
fire caused the spire of the historic edifice to
crash to the ground and wiped out centuries of
heritage.
French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that "we
will rebuild" Notre-Dame and expressed relief that
"the worst had been avoided" in a fire that risked
bringing the entire edifice down.
The fire destroyed the roof of the 850-year-old
UNESCO world heritage landmark, whose spectacular
Gothic spire collapsed before the eyes of
horrified onlookers on a previously pristine early
spring evening.
The fire, which came as Catholics prepare to
celebrate Easter, sent orange flames and clouds of
grey smoke billowing into the sky as stunned
Parisians and tourists watched on in horror.
As darkness fell, some 400 firefighters battled to
control the fire and save at least its iconic
front towers. They finally gained the upper hand
as midnight approached.
Paris fire brigade chief Jean-Claude Gallet said
"we can consider that the main structure of
Notre-Dame has been saved and preserved" as well
as the two towers.
Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, also
present at the scene, said that for the first time
"the fire had decreased in intensity" while still
urging "extreme caution."
"This is really sad —- the saddest thing I've ever
stood and watched in my life," said British
tourist Sam Ogden, a 50-year-old onlooker, who had
come to visit the cathedral with her family.
Gasps and cries of "Oh my god" erupted around an
hour after the fire first broke out when the top
portion of the church's spire came crashing down.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately
confirmed. The cathedral had been undergoing
intense restoration work which the fire service
said could be linked to the blaze.
French prosecutors said the blaze was being
treated as an "involuntary" fire, indicating that
foul play was ruled out for now.
Last week, dramatic footage had shown workers
removing 16 copper statues from the spire which
was undergoing a revamp financed by the state and
private donors.
There was no immediate indication of any
casualties in the blaze.
Historians expressed incredulity at the collapse
of a building that has been a symbol of France for
almost a millennium and withstood war and
revolution.
"If Paris is the Eiffel Tower then France is Notre
Dame. It's the entire culture, entire history of
France incarnated in this monument," Bernard
Lecompte, a writer and specialist in religious
history told BFM TV.
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Deputy Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire told the
channel that workers were scrambling "to save all
the artwork that can be saved."
French President Macron had earlier cancelled a
major televised policy speech he was due to give
on Monday evening to respond to months of
protests, and instead headed to the scene in
person.
Visibly emotional, he said while the "worst had
been avoided" and the facade and two towers saved
"the next hours will be difficult".
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he felt a
"sadness beyond words" but added the fire services
"were still fighting... heroically, to save what
can be saved".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Notre-Dame
cathedral a "symbol of European culture" as the
blaze raged.
The Vatican on Monday expressed its "incredulity"
and "sadness", expressing "our closeness with
French Catholics and with the Parisian
population."
U.S. President Donald Trump in a tweet said it was
"horrible" to watch the fire but caused
controversy by offering advice on how to put it
out. "Perhaps flying water tankers could be used
to put it out. Must act quickly!" he said.
But France's civil security service, which
oversees crisis management in the country, tweeted
back at Trump that the use of water-bombing
aircraft was not being considered.
"If used, (this) could lead to the collapse of the
entire structure of the cathedral," it said.
Hundreds of people gathered on the bridges of
Paris to witness the scene, many filming the
images with their smartphones.
The cathedral was located at the center of the
French capital in the Middle Ages and its
construction was completed in the mid-12th century
after some 200 years of work.
During the French Revolution in the 18th century,
the cathedral was vandalized in widespread
anti-Catholic violence: its spire was dismantled,
its treasures plundered and its large statues at
the grand entrance doors destroyed.
It would go on to feature as a central character
in a Victor Hugo novel published in 1831, "The
Hunchback of Notre-Dame" and shortly afterwards a
restoration project lasting two decades got
underway, led by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc.
It would survive the devastation of two world
conflicts in the 20th century and famously rang
its bells on August 24, 1944, the day of the
Liberation of Paris from German occupation at the
end of the World War II.
More updated information about Notre-Dame fire,
can be reached at Agence
France-Presse (AFP) web*
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Have you
ever visit Notre-Dame Cathedral? We would like
to know your thoughts on this story. Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
*Link
to reach the place.
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