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Dozens investigating what caused

massive Notre Dame fire – live
updates
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UPDATED ON: APRIL 17, 2019 / 8:37 PM / CBS

NEWS

Notre Dame fire: What we know

 A major fire erupted at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

on Monday.
 The cause of the blaze remains unclear, but officials do not
suspect terrorism or arson.
 About 50 people are involved with the investigation.
 So far, about a billion dollars have been pledged to help
restore the landmark.

Authorities in Paris are still trying to piece together exactly

what happened before Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire, which
officials believe was an accident. About 50 investigators are
 involved with the probe, and they have started questioning 30
employees from different companies, including those that were
involved in the cathedral's restoration work.

French newspaper Le Parisien reported that a fire alarm went

off at Notre Dame shortly after 6 p.m. Monday but a computer
bug showed the fire's location in the wrong place. The paper
reported the flames may have started at the bottom of the
cathedral's giant spire and may have been caused by an
electrical problem in an elevator.

Officials had said a fire alarm was triggered at 6:20 p.m., but no
fire was discovered. Then, at 6:43 p.m., another alarm sounded.
Notre Dame Cathedral fire More

 $1 billion pledged to rebuild Notre Dame

Cathedral after fire
 Wine lovers raise nearly $1 million for Notre
Dame rebuilding
 What was saved — and lost — in Notre Dame
fire
 How to donate to repair Notre Dame after
devastating fire

At that point, fire spread quickly from the roof near the rear of
Notre Dame. In less than an hour, it engulfed the spire, which --
just 13 minutes later -- collapsed as onlookers watched in
horror.
Fire burns Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris4 6
P H OTO S

Bookstore owners urge "Hunchback of Notre-

Dame" publishers to donate

Two bookstore owners are calling on publishers of Victor

Hugo's iconic book "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" to join the
funding campaign, according to BBC News.

BBC News said Amandine Ardouin and Antoine Bonnet, whose

bookshops are based in Paris, are asking other sellers and
publishers to do their part.

A share of their income from sales of Hugo's novel, first

published in 1831, will be pledged to the restoration project,
they told French media.

"She was so beautiful, and now the sky is sad"

It still wasn't safe Wednesday for investigators to get inside the

cathedral to search for the cause, CBS News correspondent Ian
Lee reports. Firefighters have been assessing the damage.
Bells tolled at cathedrals across the French capital exactly 48
hours after the fire began. Cecile Deleville can hardly look at the
destruction -- she has worshipped there for 44 years.

"She was so beautiful, and now the sky is sad," she said. "This is
such a shock to me."

Photos show damage to Notre Dame

Notre Dame stands damaged but defiant after the fire that
raged for at least 12 hours. Inside, where the spire collapsed,
the altar was buried in debris, but its cross was almost shining,
and pews were still in place, CBS News correspondent Roxana
Saberi reports.

The cross and sculpture of Pieta by Nicolas Coustou are seen

surrounded by debris inside Notre Dame Cathedral in the
aftermath of a fire that devastated the church during a visit by
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, not pictured, in
Paris, France, April 16, 2019.R E U T E R S

Paris' City Hall released pictures of the inside of the 850-year-

old church Wednesday, showing the soot-filled sanctuary
covered in debris. The roof, with its 800-year-old wooden
beams, is gone.

The top of Notre Dame Cathedral is seen after a massive fire

April 15, 2019.M A I R I E D E P A R I S

Light shined through gaping holes in the intricately carved

vaulted ceiling. Bertrand de Feydeau, vice president of the
preservation group Fondation du Patrimoine, told the AP that
the roof's wooden beams cannot be remade because "we don't,
at the moment, have trees on our territory of the size that were
cut in the 13th century."
The interior of Notre Dame Cathedral is seen after a massive
fire April 15, 2019.M A I R I E D E P A R I S

Even though the flames swept over the cathedral so intensely,

much of the interior was saved, Lee reports. Notre Dame's two
medieval bell towers were still intact, and its stained-glass rose
windows appeared mostly unscathed.
One of Notre Dame Cathedral's famous rose windows is seen
after a massive fire April 15, 2019.M A I R I E D E P A R I S

Officials said it will be at least another day before scaffolding

from the earlier restoration work is stabilized so the rubble can
start to be cleared away.

Notre Dame was undergoing major renovations

The fire may potentially involve renovation work that was being
carried out at the cathedral, Paris' fire service said. Extensive
scaffolding covered a portion of the roof as part of the $6.8
million project before the fire broke out.

Hundreds of millions raised for restoration

Deep-pocketed wine lovers in London raised nearly a million

dollars Wednesday morning for the rebuilding of Notre Dame.
Sotheby's auctioned off 25 five-bottle cases from one of the
world's most prestigious wine producers, Château Mouton
Rothschild.
The sales were originally meant to raise money for the
restoration of the Palace of Versailles, France's opulent former
royal residence. About a billion dollars have been promised to
help restore Notre Dame.

New York landmarks lit in colors of French flag

Two New York City landmarks -- One World Trade Center and
the spire of the Empire State Building -- lit up in blue, white
and red in solidarity with the people of France and the Catholic
community, CBS New York reports.

"Our hearts ached as we watched a devastating fire ravage one

of the world's most sacred and celebrated religious monuments.
The Notre Dame Cathedral's centuries of history, art and iconic
architecture are irreplaceable, and we are deeply grateful to the
brave first responders who worked diligently to extinguish the
flames and save portions of this significant piece of French and
Catholic history," said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "New
York stands in solidarity with the people of France and
Catholics worldwide who are mourning this tremendous loss."

Our tower will be lit in blue, white and red this evening in
solidarity with France following the Notre Dame
fire. pic.twitter.com/7T739eKGX2
— Empire State Bldg (@EmpireStateBldg) April 16, 2019

Notre Dame Cathedral's history

Construction of Notre Dame began in 1163 during the reign of

King Louis VII and was completed in 1345. The cathedral is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, a worldwide Parisian icon and
the location of some of the most important moments in the
history of France.
Henry VI of England was crowned inside the cathedral in 1431
and Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned emperor of France
inside the cathedral in 1804.

The cathedral receives nearly 13 million visitors a year and is

home to exquisite religious artifacts, paintings, sculptures and
other priceless works of art.

It had been undergoing renovations after cracks began to

appear in the stone, sparking fears the structure could become
unstable. CBS News' Roxana Saberi reported in March
2018 that years of rain, snow and pollution had eroded the
flying buttresses that prop the cathedral up.

James Shepherd, director of preservation and facilities at the

Washington National Cathedral, spoke with CBSN on Monday
about Notre Dame's epic history.

"That's 800 years of history, of people pilgrimaging there and

worshiping there, and the accumulation of culture," Shepherd
said by phone. "All of that will have to be taken into
consideration as they try to repair this church and save it after
this devastating fire."

Shepherd spoke of Notre Dame's "stunning and exclusive

stained-glass windows," which the cathedral's heritage director
said Tuesday don't appear to have been destroyed in the fire.
Shepherd called them "absolutely priceless and some of the best
examples of European stained-glass windows."

Photos of the Notre Dame fire

Fire burns Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris4 6
P H OTO S

First published on April 17, 2019 / 11:25 AM

© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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