Breaking news - Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on fire

[wood 11225]

4 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

Fire looks like it's starting to intensify again to some extent.  Also looks like the hoses are a little further away.  They're getting worried about the structure  

When there's collapse hazard, they need to stay back 1.5 times the height of whatever structure might collapse...

[Trey3216 15346]

Just now, wood said:

When there's collapse hazard, they need to stay back 1.5 times the height of whatever structure might collapse...

Indeed.  I was just making an observation. 

[Moby Ric 2058]

i just don't see how anything form the building can be saved.  That fire is so huge the entire structure may have to be condemned and torn down.  Such a tragedy to lose a piece of the worlds history.

[wood 11225]

1 minute ago, Trey3216 said:

Indeed.  I was just making an observation. 

No, not taking issue with you. Just throwing that in there..

[SydneyCarton 48106]

The BBC coverage is saying that firefighting officials are saying the next 90 minutes will be crucial. They didn't specify further but I assume they mean in regards to collapse. 

[Shady Ray 1633]

As an expat living half-time in Strasbourg, I can confirm that this is hitting the local populace much harder than Brexit ever did.

This is awful.

[Loco 3752]

50 minutes ago, DaysOff said:

Won't be rebuilt in our lifetime.

permiting process can be a real bitch...  I doubt they have the required parking spaces

[gecko 1104]

MSNBC quoting French interior ministry reporting that firefighters may not be able to save the structure.

[Surly Bevo 24908]

4 minutes ago, retread said:

 

Things like this is why it's probably a bit early to take the early "accident" report at face value...I certainly hope it was (because shit storm if it wasn't)  Just fucking terrible.  

[Texas_Rocks 346]

At this point I’m not necessarily convinced that the entire building getting wiped out by fire will be better than possibly only wiping out part of it with an early air drop.

[BrickTop 477]

Water supply to an 850 year old 226 foot tall building with no sprinklers or standpipes would be a nightmare, just the access with lines without standpipes would be hard, my guess is they’ll set up shop and try to pick a defendable space.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tokamak 6430]

6 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

CNN Showing firefighters up in the towers. Well at least moving lights they think are firefighters. 

That seems really unwise. I don't care how historic, beautiful, or loved any structure is - if there's nobody inside, it's not worth the life of a single firefighter.

[Telegraph_it 3357]

Whoever built the scaffolding did a damn good job. 

 

[clapclapclap 9000]

Even if electrical lines were not installed because of the fire risk, did construction crews utilize their own temporary electrical lines for their equipment?

[Surly Bevo 24908]

Just now, tokamak said:

That seems really unwise. I don't care how historic, beautiful, or loved any structure is - if there's nobody inside, it's not worth the life of a single firefighter.

I don't disagree in principle but there are probably others who would see it differently

[Loco 3752]

[achooloco 1072]

39 minutes ago, NowThis said:

epic photo, thanks for that. 

don't the french have the bigass planes that dump the orange fire retardant? Or the water dumping helicopters? They really are slow at everything. 

 

36 minutes ago, NowThis said:

why open during major renovations? Just for safety , keep the public out.  Dumb French. 

Brilliant back to back takes there buddy..

[Loco 3752]

3 minutes ago, Surly Bevo said:

I don't disagree in principle but there are probably others who would see it differently

Well unless they are firefighters...

[retread 2951]

 

[GopherRock 1765]

You can see something afire in the north tower on the CBS YouTube feed.

[wood 11225]

7 minutes ago, Texas_Rocks said:

At this point I’m not necessarily convinced that the entire building getting wiped out by fire will be better than possibly only wiping out part of it with an early air drop.

Early air drops don't exist.

[Okie State 3821]

Really hope they can save the towers. Doesn't look good though.

[DigglerontheHoof 21199]

Damn, what a crushing blow to Paris. 

[wood 11225]

4 minutes ago, achooloco said:

 

Brilliant back to back takes there buddy..

Yep. He's on a serious roll.

[gecko 1104]

I’ve been glued to tv since 1pm. It was well over an hour before they got water on this....

[Anastasis 23469]

Hell of a way to kick off holy week. 

[retread 2951]

Amazing that the scaffolding is still standing.

[Texas_Rocks 346]

Early air drops don't exist.

 

I’m not an expert and I’m sure I worded that wrong somehow. Sorry.

[Wally Pryor 5261]

Such a majestic place.   Once you've been there hard to forget it. 

 

[Rimbo 25935]

15 minutes ago, Telegraph_it said:

Whoever built the scaffolding did a damn good job. 

 

Seriously, right? I mean, how could you compete with the advertisement?

"700-year-old building: Ruined. Baise les Voleurs de Terres brand scaffolding: Still Standing! Call us today for a free quote!"

Edited April 15, 2019 by Rimbo

[clapclapclap 9000]

I just hope they rebuild a faithful replica, resisting the French urge to do some modern reinterpretation, some kind of Centre Pompidou. 

[Rimbo 25935]

8 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

Hell of a way to kick off holy week. 

I actually forgot about this. No kidding.

[GhostOfTomJoad 9324]

To think that Philippe Petit wire walked between both the Notre Dame towers and the WTC Towers and now both may disappear in his lifetime. Unimaginable.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

2 minutes ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

To think that Philippe Petit wire walked between both the Notre Dame towers and the WTC Towers and now both may disappear in his lifetime. Unimaginable.

No more wire walking !!!

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

 

Photos like this give me goosebumps...the history this thing has seen is nuts...yea WW2 seems like a long time ago..but in the grand scheme it really wasnt as some of its generation is still alive.

[Rimbo 25935]

2 minutes ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

To think that Philippe Petit wire walked between both the Notre Dame towers and the WTC Towers and now both may disappear in his lifetime. Unimaginable.

This is like my Mom making needlepoint pillows of our cats. Both were eaten by coyotes. I've told her not to make any more needlepoint pillows of our cats.

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

 

[Rimbo 25935]

1 minute ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Oh, I think it does help, quite a bit. Won't help save it, but will help restore it.

[gecko 1104]

It would appear that they are no longer shooting water into one of towers. Perhaps it’s saved.

[LonghornJudas 1097]

Not going to post it here, but a tweet from someone you all know and love has happened...

[Wally Pryor 5261]

[Hate 20108]

I hope this wasn’t intentionally set. Things could get very ugly in France if that turns out to be the case, although I haven’t seen any reports of that yet.

[sasquatch69 603]

The magnificent Cavaille-Coll pipe organ dating to 1868 is probably gone as well, only six years after a total restoration. Listen to this beauty, and weep.

 "The theology behind the Alternatim is so spine-tingling: the Te Deum is supposed to unite the two choirs of Heaven and Earth in prasing God. So the choir here is only singing half the verses while they leave the choirs of angels and saints in Heaven to sing the alternate verses (while the organ roars out its accompaniment to them)."

 

 

[tokamak 6430]

5 minutes ago, clapclapclap said:

I just hope they rebuild a faithful replica, resisting the French urge to do some modern reinterpretation, some kind of Centre Pompidou. 

Plenty of time to think about this later, and obviously it will depend greatly on what's left, but I disagree. Obviously something Pompidou-style would not work, but IMO there is the opportunity to combine old and new into something great if it's done right. People built the original 900 years ago with the best and most advanced construction techniques of the day - they were showing off to future generations. We should try to show people 900 years from now what we were capable of. Think about buildings like the Sydney Opera House or Guggenheim Bilboa - 20th/21st century culture can do great things. They should pay homage to the original, incorporate as much as they can, but show that in the face of tragedy we can do something even better than a brick-by-brick recreation.

[gecko 1104]

Not going to post it here, but a tweet from someone you all know and love has happened...

Louise Mensch?

[High Plains Drifter 11049]

30 minutes ago, gecko said:

MSNBC quoting French interior ministry reporting that firefighters may not be able to save the structure.

They should have listened to DOTARD and acted quickly!

[Vito Andolini 9126]

25 minutes ago, Loco said:

I always see weird shit in images, but look at the base of the spire, the two large negative spaces look like two skull-headed aliens looking at each other, the one on the left has an ammo belt strapped across his chest, the one on the right is in a robe. #DontTellAlexJones

[tokamak 6430]

2 minutes ago, gecko said:

It would appear that they are no longer shooting water into one of towers. Perhaps it’s saved.

Yeah, on the live stream I'm watching (CBSN), there's no focus whatsoever on the bell towers right now. Appears that all the focus is on the back.

[Laxtonto 12080]

This gets me thinking...

What iconic structures are out there globally that would generate this level of shock and sadness worldwide?  I’m curious what people would compare the loss of Notre Dame to.

Just off the top of my head

The Eiffel Tower

Buckingham Palace

Saint Peters Basilica

Taj Mahal

The Sphinx 

 

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

My kids and I were on top of the tower exactly one month ago today.  Hard to wrap my head around the idea that it could ever be gone.