The Fire of the Century: The Hope Behind the Rubble and the History of Notre Dame

Crowded Streets

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Exterior facade of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, France (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

By 7:10 pm a smoke plume would be visible from a distance, and all of France would come to a standstill in fear for their beloved heritage site. This is a picture of the cathedral on a typical day on the Lle de la Cite. There is only one way into the island and one way out. The streets are full of tourists thus making it impossible for first responders to reach the site in time to extinguish the blaze. On top of that, swarms of people had swarmed around the site to take pictures and observe the catastrophe from up close.

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