Rouen Cathedral fire brought under control in Normandy

Firefighters in the city of Rouen in Normandy successfully stopped a fire at its famous gothic cathedral, reassuring people worried about another disaster at one of France's important historical buildings, following the tragic fire at Notre Dame five years ago.

The first TV pictures displayed a thick cloud of smoke puffed up from the cathedral tower and individuals on the streets gazing upwards in shock.

In more recent pictures, smoke was still visible coming out of an opening in the white sheet surrounding the scaffolding around the spire, but it was not going up in a black cloud anymore. Firefighters announced that the fire had been controlled after approximately 90 minutes.

Stéphane Gouezec, a firefighter from Seine-Maritime, stated that they had found the origin of the fire and were now focusing on checking for any lingering areas of intense heat. He mentioned to the media that the chances of the fire spreading further were minimal due to the fact that the affected area mainly contained metal structures.

He mentioned that the construction workers were the ones who spotted the fire first and informed the authorities.

A blaze in the timber structure of the ceiling caused extensive destruction to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris back in 2019, and the restoration work is finally coming to an end.

In April, a fire swept through the Old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen, a famous and ancient building that is a symbol of the city. The fire caused the spire to fall and significant portions of the walls to crumble later on.

The top of the Rouen Cathedral was covered in scaffolding and a white sheet for many weeks.

The local government, which has control in the area, stated that the cathedral had been cleared out and emergency teams were present. A security perimeter had been set up around the structure. The government mentioned that no injuries had been reported and they were unsure of the extent of the destruction.

Rouen's mayor, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, wrote on X: "A fire has started on the spire of Rouen's cathedral. We are not sure how it started yet. All available resources are being used to handle the situation."

The cathedral we see today was constructed on the same spot as a basilica from the fourth century and a Romanesque complex from the 11th century. Building on this site began in the 12th century and continued over the years to create the structure we see now.

The cathedral gained widespread popularity thanks to a collection of paintings by the French artist Claude Monet, known for his impressionist style. Monet painted the cathedral's distinct features at various times of the day, using a studio located across the street from the building.

Monet wrote that there are countless ways to see Rouen Cathedral as long as the sun shines on it.

The cathedral has a lengthy past of being harmed and restored: the top part of the main tower was ruined when struck by lightning in 1822.

The architect Jean-Antoine Alavoine, who also created the column at the Bastille Square in Paris, took on the task of rebuilding it. Alavoine opted to construct the spire in Rouen using cast iron. This decision sparked debate as novelist Gustave Flaubert criticized it as "the folly of a metal worker."

The church spire in France is very tall, measuring at 151 meters. At one point, this cathedral was the tallest building in the world.

The church was harmed during World War II, and part of it collapsed during a storm in 1999.

Information in this report was sourced from Reuters and Associated Press.