Fire breaks out at Nantes Cathedral in France

19/07/2020

Arab Times

19/07/2020

Arab Times

PARIS, July 18 (KUNA) -- French emergency services on Saturday announced that a huge fire broke out at the landmark Nantes Cathedral, and firefighters managed to bring it under control.

French police officers look at the blaze at the Gothic St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, in Nantes, western France, Saturday, July 18, 2020. The fire broke, shattering stained glass windows and sending black smoke spewing from between its two towers of the 15th century, which also suffered a serious fire in 1972. The fire is bringing back memories of the devastating blaze in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris last year that destroyed its roof and collapsed its spire and threatened to topple the medieval monument. (AP Photo/Laetitia Notarianni)

In a press statement, the director of the fire department General Laurent Verlai said that the damage caused to the cathedral is not comparable to that of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris a year ago.

Meanwhile, Nantes' public prosecutor Pierre Sen said that the fire broke out in three places, which indicates that the incident could be deliberate.
For his part, French President Emmanuelle Macron tweeted his support for the firefighters who were "taking all the risks to save the Gothic jewel".