Pariss Notre Dame Cathedral Destroyed By Fire; Donald Trump “Hopes” It Was Renovation Accident – Update

Pariss Notre Dame Cathedral Destroyed By Fire; Donald Trump “Hopes” It Was Renovation Accident – Update

April 15, 2019 1:39pm UPDATED throughout: Pariss iconic Notre Dame Ca..

UPDATED throughout: Pariss iconic Notre Dame Cathedral continued to burn Monday night, out of control. By 2:10 PM ET the buildings iconic spire was entirely consumed in the conflagration; the entire roof had collapsed by the time firefighters finally appeared on live video coverage.

A spokesman from the church said the entire wooden interior of the more-than-800-year-old cathedral is burning and likely to be destroyed. No injuries have been reported. The Paris prosecutor has opened an investigation into the Notre Dame fire, CNN reports.

Pariss deputy mayor has described the damage to the cathedral as “colossal” and that efforts were underway to save some of the art and artifacts inside. French authorities say the fire is “potentially linked” to the $6.8 million renovation project that had been under way on the churchs 2,400-foot high spire, which no longer exists.

MSNBC quoted the French Interior Ministry spokesperson saying firefighters “might not be able to save” the cathedral that took 200 years to build, as the fire expanded into one of its two tall rectangular bell towers.

President Donald Trump took another crack at a presidential response, Speaking at a Tax Day Roundtable/campaign rally in Minnesota, Trump called the cathedral “one of the great treasures of the world. The greatest artists in the world if you think about it, I would say might be greater than almost any museum in the world, and its burning very badly. Looks like its burning to the ground.”

“That puts a damper on what were about to say, to be honest,” Trump told attendees, calling Notre Dame “beyond countries; its part of our growing up, part of our culture. Part of our lives.”

Noting he had visited the cathedral, Trump added, “I think I could say there no cathedral in the world like it. They think it was caused by renovation. I hope thats the reason. Renovation, whats that all about? But its a terrible sight to behold.”

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted [translation]: “Our Lady of Paris in flames. Emotion of a whole nation. Thought for all Catholics and for all French. Like all our countrymen, Im sad tonight to see this part of us burn.”

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization issued a statement saying it is ready to “save and restore” Notre Dame, Fox News Channel reported.

The fire broke out at 6:50 PM Paris time which France 24 reported is “five or six minutes” after the cathedral closed for the day.

Foxs Shep Smith reported that when the fire broke out, it was described as small burning and local news in Paris was not focused on the fire. “As to why they werent able to contain it is reporting for another day,” he added.

Two hours after the fire first was noted, much of the cathedral was in flames. U.S. news viewers saw the spire become engulfed and topple; and much of the roof burn away.

CNN reported that, as the fire rapidly spread and took over the iconic cathedral, onlookers nearby

scrambled in disbelief to get a view of the scene, despite being told to clear the area.

Smoke could be seen billowing out from the top of the medieval cathedral, as flames leaped out besides its two bell towers, a Reuters witness reported.

U.S. cable news networks jettisoned regularly scheduled program and focused on the blaze as it spread. Broadcast networks broke into their programming to cover around 2 PM ET.

NBC News reported 400 firefighters had been sent to the house of worship, considered one of the worlds greatest examples of French Gothic architecture. Londons Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that his city “stands in sorrow” with Paris.

“Heartbreaking scenes of Notre Dame cathedraRead More – Source

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