A France in Turmoil Weeps for a Symbol of Paris’s Enduring Identity

Before the fire, the cathedral had been undergoing an extensive restoration.
"Notre-Dame has occupied the heart of Paris for the better part of a millennium, its twin medieval towers rising from the small central island wedged between the storied left and right banks. Now, France is burning. The fire at Notre-Dame happened on the day that the country’s troubled president, Emmanuel Macron, was supposed to explain how he intended to address the demands of the 'Yellow Vest' movement. An anguished, restless nation has struggled to cope with the monthslong uprising and with the frayed social safety net that spurred the protests. Generations that had come to rely on this social safety net, as a matter of national pride and identity, see it going up in smoke. On Monday, so was the cathedral, which for centuries has enshrined an evolving notion of Frenchness. The symbolism was hard to miss. ..."
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YouTube: A France in Turmoil Weeps for a Symbol of Paris’s Enduring Identity
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Patrick Palem, a restoration expert, holding the head of a statue from the spire of Notre-Dame cathedral on Tuesday. Because they had been removed for restoration just days before, the 16 copper figures were spared from the fire.
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How the Notre-Dame Cathedral Fire Spread

The fire was first visible in this area of the cathedral in images taken Monday evening.
"It took less than an hour for a fire to spread from the attic of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, race across the wooden rooftop and topple its 300-foot spire. Around 6:30 p.m., Paris time, smoke began to pour out of the cathedral’s roof, near scaffolding that had been put up over the last few months to conduct renovations on the spire. The fire started in the cathedral’s attic, said Jean-Claude Gallet, commander of the Paris firefighters. The attic is an oddly shaped space, seldom visited, that lies above the soaring stone arches visible from the floor of old European cathedrals. ..."
***NY Times: How the Notre-Dame Cathedral Fire Spread
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NY Times: In Paris, Worn-Out Notre-Dame Needs a Makeover, and Hopes You Can Help (Sep. 28, 2017)