Notre-Dame de Paris - cathedral on fire!

[Oystein]

I was going to suggest it will be blamed on immigrants. At least by Trump.

The remarks they showed by Trump, who is at some event in Minnesota, were actually surprisingly respectful and well-measured.

 

[Information Analyst]

York was caused by a lightning strike.

Not according to a relative of mine who was working for the independent fire investigators who looked into it at the time. The actual more likely cause couldn't be proved, so the far less likely "lightning strike" theory was allowed to stand.

 

[dudalb]

He knows more about firefighting than anyone, right?

God, the man is a moron.
Water tankers are great for fighing wildfires, but a building fire..not so much.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Not according to a relative of mine who was working for the independent fire investigators who looked into it at the time. The actual more likely cause couldn't be proved, so the far less likely "lightning strike" theory was allowed to stand.

So it was a lightning strike.

 

[Belz...]

How do you pronounce the capital of France? Paris or Paree (the latter with a rolled 'r')?

French rolled, not Russian rolled. French rolled Rs are done with the back of the throat rather than the front of the tongue.

And it's Pah-Ree.

 

[jeremyp]

I'm going to sound like an asshat but I would've traded a few lives to keep this priceless, timeless artpiece. Generations have looked to this building as an important piece of history.

Would you be prepared for your life to be one of them? If not, you probably shouldn’t be saying things like that.

I’ll admit that I had a similar thought but in such situations I always ask myself if I would volunteer to be part of the price. That’s usually enough to rein in my thoughts.

 

[Belz...]

I think it's the difference between "No-tra Dayme" and "Not-ra Daame."

"Notr", not "not-ra".

 

[Belz...]

Would you be prepared for your life to be one of them? If not, you probably shouldn’t be saying things like that.

Why not? What does one have to do with the other? Whether I would trade my life has no bearing on the general point that I consider these historic monuments to be worth more than a few people who, including myself, will not be remembered in a few years time, and who are easy to replace.

But to answer your question: yes.

 

[dudalb]

Just read Obama's tweet. His heart is in the right place but you can't rebuild nearly a thousand years of history.

 

[Oystein]

On the BBC, they are citing officials of the fire department expressing the expectation that they will be able to save the main structure, and to get a handle on the fire within 2 to 3 hours.

 

[Steve]

Just heard that one firefighter has been seriously injured. They need to back off. It's not worth a life.

 

[jeremyp]

I’ve been to Paris several times and have found Parisians not at all horrible. If you try to use a few French words (and you should greet people in the local language wherever you are) you are treated pretty well.

I second this. I’ve been there as a tourist several times and never experienced anything but friendliness. My theory is that, waiters, in particular, appreciate my attempts to use their language but my accent probably sounds like dragging your nails down a blackboard to them, so they switch to English.

 

[Castro]

The chief of the Paris fire brigade, Jean-Claude Gallet, just said that the main structure of Notre Dame and its two towers are saved. Two-third of the roof has been destroyed but the fire seems over or at least under control now.

 

[pgwenthold]

Just read Obama's tweet. His heart is in the right place but you can't rebuild nearly a thousand years of history.

I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing there have been a few fires there previously, and various parts have been rebuilt before.

Very old buildings generally had had fires in the past

 

[cullennz]

Why does every world event have to end up being twisted to have some Trump element?

All people are doing is undermining the relevance of the topic at hand

 

[Belz...]

Just heard that one firefighter has been seriously injured. They need to back off. It's not worth a life.

Isn't it, though?

Why does every world event have to end up being twisted to have some Trump element?

Because he Tweeted about it and managed to be an idiot as usual.

 

[Oystein]

Just read Obama's tweet. His heart is in the right place but you can't rebuild nearly a thousand years of history.

It is actually more the rule than the exception that the substance of the very old historic (medieval or older) structures of Europe is mostly rather young - reconstructions, replacement or modern additions. Just take the spire that collapsed today: It was actually only built of oak wood in the 19th century. Take the gothic cathedral in Cologne, Germany's most visited landmark, construction of which began in 1248: Its famous towers, at more than 157 meters the tallest buildings in the world until 1884, rose above roof level only after 1842 and were completed in 1880. The crumbling stone of the facade has been renovated so often and so much that I doubt much of what you see today originated before 1322, when the cathedral was consecrated. Fires and wars have laid ruin to many monuments that have subsequently been rebuilt - and many are billed as "medieval" or somesuch.

 

[Steve]

Isn't it, though?

No, it is not. It is a building.

 

[jeremyp]

Excusez-moi, garcon, qu'est-que c'est

Never call the waiter “garçon”. As a rule, they don’t like being called “boy” any more than waiters in your country would.

 

[KDLarsen]

Dramatic picture of the scene, supposedly from a police drone.

At least it confirms what I hoped for, namely that the masonry (I guess?) vaults were able to withstand the heat and let the wooden structure burn on top of it. It's going to need some careful handling in the coming hours and days, but hopefully the worst of it is over.