Iconic Church Up In Flames

The devastating fire at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris probably started by accident, French officials say. The world watched in horror as the eight-hundred-year-old Cathedral went up in flames on Monday afternoon.

“We are favoring the theory of an accident,” Remy Heitz, Paris’ public prosecutor, said. Notre Dame was undergoing extensive renovations when the fire started. However, the fire will be under intense investigation to rule out arson, terrorism, or other criminal acts.

So far, only one person, a firefighter, has been reported as injured in the blaze. The fire burned up the interior of Notre Dame, along with the roof and the cathedral’s iconic spire. The bell tower and outer walls remain intact. The Rose Windows, three enormous stained-glass windows in the façade of Notre Dame, remain untouched by the flames.

Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, tweeted on Monday night that several priceless religious relics and works of art had been saved from Notre Dame, including the “Crown of Thorns,” considered the Crown Jewels of Paris. The Tunic of Saint Louis, another relic from the Middle Ages, was also salvaged.

Paris’s Deputy Mayor for Tourism and Sports, Jean-Francois Martins, confirmed that firefighters rescued most of the relics from inside Notre Dame.

“Thanks to the great bravery of all our firefighters, and as well all the public servants there, we had a very quick intervention. Very quickly a team was fully dedicated to save all these holy pieces, and specifically the relics and the crown. Everything is safe and undamaged, and in our really bad day, we had one good news.”

As of Tuesday morning, the fire had been extinguished. France’s president has vowed to rebuild Notre Dame, although restorations could take years.