Fire breaks out on cathedral spire in France’s Normandy region

Smoke billows from the spire of Rouen Cathedral in Rouen, northern France on July 11, 2024. (Patrick Streiff/AFP via Getty Images)

(LONDON) — A fire broke out and was extinguished on Thursday on the spire of a cathedral in Rouen, France, the capital of the Normandy region, local emergency officials said.

Fire officials said the blaze had been put out, saying it appeared from an initial investigation that it had been the plastic canopy that covered the spire that was on fire.

The gothic cathedral had been evacuated, and more than 60 firefighters were at the scene, police officials in Normandy said.

Black smoke and flames could be seen in photos taken midday Thursday. The section where the cathedral’s spire appeared to be on fire had been wrapped in scaffolding.

Fire officials said they would check on the stability of the scaffolding, along with possible water damage to the interior of the cathedral.

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