Notre Dame survives!

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fdcg27

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After the videos I saw last evening, I figured that all that would remain would be a pile of broken limestone.
Today, we see most of the original structure standing proud The roof is gone, of course, since its wooden structure burned readily in the intense heat of a working structure fire.
Nonetheless, while she is bowed she isn't broken.
Kudos to the French firefighters who put an effective stop on this awful blaze. This was a nice save.
She will be returned to her glory with more modern materials comprising her roof.
This is not unfitting in that she has been restored before. The awful nineteenth century spire can be left out.
 
Yes, seeing that on the morning news made my day.

Including the commitment of hundreds of Millions of dollars from businesses.

(....that and the almost certainty that it was accidental from renovation activity).
 
not just businesses, there are a couple of old money families in France that put a bunch of money down.
 
Originally Posted by Al
Yea after 35 minutes they did a great job putting water on it.


There was quite a bit more to do initially than pour water into the roof.
 
This is another case of news media trying too hard to be first with the news. The public is also complicit with their "I wanna know now" expectations.

I'll bide my time until a proper assessment can be made.
 
Yes, surprising the walls were not covered in soot. Hate to criticize but I think it would have been appropriate for the Paris fire department to have some ladder pumpers that could have reached the top of the Notre Dame with their jets. What they had looked pretty useless. I believe the fire burned itself out or at least the water jets did not do much until the roof collapsed onto the ground. I don't believe the fire fighters really had any ability to deal with any of it. If they did go inside to rescue artwork, then they are to be commended. Otherwise, E for effort.
 
She may look like she is still standing, but wait for a proper assessment to be made before jumping to that conclusion. The fact it is still there is not evidence that it is still structurally sound. Stonework can and is often damaged when exposed to high temperatures.

As far as the idea that any fire department has ladder pumpers that tall, I'd love to see evidence that such a thing exists. Hint: the building is over 200 feet tall. Current fire code would dictate a building with standpipes to deliver water to that height and fighting the fire via the stairs. Pretty standard stuff for buildings over a few stories.
 
They knew the attic was a tinderbox waiting to burn. Wood that had dried for centuries. They could have put firewalls and sprinklers in the attic areas.

How many old buildings in the US are waiting to burn because they are grandfathered in and do not need to meet current codes. Think arc-fault circuit breakers and sprinklers (for non-residential).

However sad to see it burn.
 
Thankfully that isn't much that will catch fire inside these cathedrals. The stone walls are essentially bare so it's essentially just the pews which would burn. From my understanding they were trying to keep the rock and mortar cool to ward off a collapse of the two main towers. The walls are supported on the exterior by buttresses.

I was fortunate to have visited Notre Dame twice in my life time. It's an emotional experience for some, myself included, and I still get choked up just thinking about what happened.

I recommend viewing the cathedral online via "streetview" in google maps just to give you an idea of what the surrounding landscape is like and of course take a look inside. The surround streets are narrow and the roof is significantly narrower than the base of the building.
 
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Not sure that your understanding marries with the design of buttresses and arched (800 year old wooden) structures
 
Originally Posted by dave1251
Im happy all seems well.


Me too and that was the point of this thread.
 
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