French official investigates whether the Nantes church fire caused an arson to trigger French Prime Minister to go to the scene to check

The landmark Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul Cathedral in Nantes, a city in western France, encountered a fire on the 18th local time.

　　China News Agency, Paris, July 18 (Reporter Li Yang) The landmark buildings of the French city of Nantes, St. Pierre and St. Paul's Cathedral, were hit by fire on the 18th local time, and the fire has been extinguished. French officials are investigating whether the church fire was caused by arson.

　　French investigators have investigated the fire scene and collected relevant physical evidence. Nantes prosecutor Senes said that when investigators arrived at the place where the fire occurred, three fire points were found, and the distance between each fire point was far away, so a judicial investigation of whether the incident was an arson was immediately launched.

　　Senes revealed that investigators have not found any signs of outsiders breaking in. The local parish chief, Champ Punoir, said that everything in the church was "well organized" on the evening of the 17th, and "just like other nights," a very careful inspection was conducted before the church closed.

　　The fire caused severe damage to the Cathedral of St. Pierre and St. Paul, the pipe organ in the church was completely burned, and the stained glass windows behind the pipe organ were also badly damaged. Photos on site showed that the seats inside the church were also burned.

　　The photos on site also showed that the tomb of Francois II, Duke of Brittany, which is an important cultural relic in the church, did not appear to be affected by the fire. However, it still requires professionals to further evaluate and identify the state of the cultural relics.

　　French Prime Minister Castel was accompanied by Minister of the Interior Dalmanin and Minister of Culture Bashelo to the scene to check the situation. Castel met with firefighters who extinguished the church fire and thanked them. He pointed out that without the firefighters' efforts, the loss could be even greater.

　　Castel said that the investigation of the cause of the fire and the reconstruction of the church will be prioritized, and stressed that the state will play a "main role" in the reconstruction. He hopes that reconstruction can start soon.

　　St. Pierre and St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in 1434 and has been built for hundreds of years. The cathedral is a magnificent Gothic style building. In 1972, it was hit by a fire and the church roof was burnt down. After that, it was repaired and rebuilt for more than ten years. (Finish)