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

A Hard-Fought War

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PARIS, FRANCE – APRIL 15: Flames and smoke are seen billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

By 7:10 pm, a smoke plume would be visible from a distance. The fire had begun within the roof of the building, with scaffolding all around it. The blaze quickly spread to the 93m-high spire that would very soon collapse through the roof into the chapel. The ribbed roof constructed from mostly oak beams that date back to the 13th. Firefighters fought veraciously to try and tame the flames away from the cathedral bells from collapsing and bringing down the 69m-high towers with them.

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