Somber moment as the bells at Westminster Abbey ring out in solidarity with French citizens following yesterday's fire at the Notre Dame cathedral.
Ravaged by a massive fire that completely destroyed its roof, the Notre Dame Cathedral will likely not be reopened to the public for three years, a spokesman for the 13th Century basilica told ABC News.
He said 80 percent of the priceless artifacts in the sanctuary, including the Crown of Thorns purportedly worn by Jesus when he was crucified, were saved by a team comprised of firefighters, cathedral staff and members of the Ministry of Culture, who arrived within 30 minutes of the fire starting on Monday afternoon. The artifacts, according to Finot, were placed in a vehicle and driven to City Hall.
"We are terribly, tremendously grateful to the firemen of Paris because they really saved the cathedral," Pécresse said.Still, she said watching the inferno tear through the church was "like tearing our hearts apart because the cathedral is the heart of Paris."was crying and the cries had no color, no name, no race, no parties, but the whole of France was really upset," Pécresse said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Remy Heitz, the Paris public prosecutor, said Tuesday 50 people are working on the "long" and "complex" probe of the fire, but there is no evidence to suggest the blaze was deliberately set. Investigators are leaning towards the theory it was an accident that sparked the inferno, he added.
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