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After the amazement, the questions. The dramatic fire of Notre-Dame de Paris caused a wave of international emotion, but also raised many questions. The fire, completely extinguished Tuesday morning, caused colossal damage, disfiguring the iconic historic monument. The investigation to determine the origin of the disaster should take several weeks, while the reconstruction site is already titanic.
>> LIVE - Follow the aftermath of the Notre-Dame fire
How did the fire start?
The fire started on Monday evening around 18:50, leaving the attic and spreading extremely quickly to a large part of the roof. An investigation for "involuntary destruction by fire" was opened by the Paris prosecutor's office, which favors the accidental track and rejected the hypothesis of a criminal act. The fire is said to have started from the current construction site on the roof of the cathedral, but the precise origin of the incident remains unknown at this stage. A judicial expert in fire, interviewed Tuesday by the Parisian , raised several hypotheses. "The framework is very old: between the wood dust and the decomposition of the wood in a spongy state, a spark, a weld or a short-circuit can cause an incandescent embers undetectable for several hours, or even days, and develop in fire insidiously, "he explains.
According to the monument's spokesperson and the chief architect, the workers had all left the site when the fire alarm went off. They will be questioned by the investigators, who will try to determine whether negligence or human error is the cause of the fire. "Five companies intervened on the site." (Tuesday), began hearing of workers of employees of these companies. "About fifteen are expected." They are fifteen to have intervened, to have been present yesterday (Monday) ", said the Paris prosecutor Rémy Heitz, Tuesday noon. Julien Le Bras, boss of Le Bras Frères, the main company responsible for the work, for his part, assured that security procedures "were respected" on Tuesday on BFMTV.
Only certainty: the findings will take time. Investigators will only be able to enter the cathedral when the premises are completely secure, which was still not the case on Tuesday at midday. The search for clues will also be complicated by the pile of debris caused by the fire.
What are the damages?
After about twelve hours of fighting, the firefighters completely controlled the fire. The precise evaluation of the damage will now be able to begin. They are in any case gigantic. The images of the collapse of the spire of the cathedral, one of the symbols of Paris with its 93 meters high, have been around the world. Much of the roof of the monument was burned to ashes, and part of the vault collapsed into the central nave. The flames have devoured the frame, nicknamed the "forest", a jewel of medieval architecture consisting of 1,300 oak beams, old for the oldest of eight centuries. Three relics, nestled in the spire, disappeared during its collapse: a parcel of the Holy Crown of Thorns, a relic of Saint Denis and one of Saint Genevieve.
Many "treasures" of the cathedral have fortunately been saved from flames by firefighters. The most precious relic preserved at Notre-Dame, the Holy Crown (posited, according to the belief, on the head of Jesus shortly before the crucifixion), was put in the shelter, just like the tunic of Saint-Louis. The main organ, whose state of mind was worrying, was miraculously preserved. "The big organ was not touched at all except that it was very dusty, but it did not take a single drop of water, so it took soot and dust, so it is totally useless, but nothing has burned, nothing has melted, "assured Europe 1 Laurent Prades, steward of the internal heritage of Notre-Dame.
The fate of some works of art however remains uncertain for the moment. The many large paintings, hung around the cathedral, may have been damaged during the extinction of the fire. The stained glass windows of the three rosettes, which adorn the façade of the monument, have also been exposed to heat. The two towers, emblematic of Notre Dame's silhouette, have been saved.
>> READ - Fire in Notre-Dame: the works that could have been saved, the ones that were destroyed
How long will the reconstruction take?
As early as Monday night, Emmanuel Macron promised to "rebuild" Notre-Dame. The construction site promises to be colossal and could cost hundreds of millions, even billions of euros. Immediately, many gestures of solidarity flocked from all over the world. A national subscription has been launched to allow individuals to make donations. The big French fortunes have also mobilized: the Pinault family has promised 100 million euros, the LVMH group and the Arnault family 200 million, or 10 million brothers Martin and Olivier Bouygues. Political side, the mayor of Paris has unlocked 50 million euros, and the region Île-de-France 10 million.
The construction site, titanic, will take "years", said the new president of the conference of bishops of France, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort. By way of comparison, Reims Cathedral, largely destroyed at the beginning of the First World War, was rebuilt in 20 years and only reopened to worship in 1938.
An example on which the architects can rely, according to the historian Patrick Demouy. "In Reims, the architect Henri Deneux has chosen not to rebuild a wooden frame and to innovate with a concrete frame.The decision will go to the specialists of historical monuments: identical reconstruction or innovation not to overload a structure weakened by fire, "said the professor of medieval history, interviewed by Europe 1. The chief architect of the cathedral, Benjamin Mouton, is categorical: it will be" almost impossible "to rebuild identical Notre-Dame de Paris. "It is obvious that we will never have such a perfect copy of what existed".