A fire broke out Saturday morning inside the cathedral of Nantes, in western France. In a video posted by the Pompiers de France, we can see black smoke escaping from the main stained glass window between the two towers, as well as flames on the facade. 

"The fire is not under control, it is under attack. It is an important fire," said Codis (Departmental Operational Center for Fire and Rescue), adding that the firefighters had been alerted at 7:44 am and that 60 firefighters had been dispatched to the scene. "We are fighting in particular with the help of two spears on the fire," he added. 

#Nantes | Courage to the firefighters # firefighters of @ SDIS44 engaged in the # fire at the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral in #Nantes.
Protect, rescue and save. pic.twitter.com/z8ZaigcI3s

- Pompiers de France (@PompiersFR) July 18, 2020

The neighborhood was cordoned off. 

A first fire in 1972

It is not the first time that this cathedral in the heart of Nantes has been hit by a fire. On January 28, 1972, the roof of the Gothic cathedral of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, built between the 15th and the 19th century, was ravaged by flames. The incident was declared following work carried out by a roofer. 

The cathedral of Nantes could not be returned to worship until May 1985, after more than 13 years of work.

With AFP    

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