The images show that smoke is no longer coming from the tower of the 12th-century cathedral where the fire started.
The spire of a medieval cathedral in the northern French city of Rouen is almost clear of smoke after it caught fire and firefighters rushed to contain it.
The fire broke out around midday on Thursday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, which was undergoing renovation, the local prefecture and the fire service reported.
The Gothic cathedral, one of the most beautiful in France, dates back to the 12th century and was repeatedly painted by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet in the 19th century, bringing it worldwide fame.
Images from French television channel BFM released shortly after the fire broke out showed a thick column of smoke rising from the cathedral's central spire and people in the streets looking up in horror.
In later images broadcast by the channel, smoke could still be seen through a gap in the white covering surrounding the scaffolding around the tower, but it was no longer rising in a dark column.
Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, writing on X, said all public resources had been mobilised to put out the fire, the origin of which remains unknown.
Debut of a fire in the course of the arrow of the cathedral of @Rouen. Unknown origin of this stadium. All public media are mobilized. Thank you for facilitating their intervention. image.twitter.com/Lnu1vMrw5p
— Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol (@NicolasMayerNMR) July 11, 2024
The local prefecture, which exercises state authority in the region, said the cathedral had been evacuated and a security cordon had been set up around the building.
People were advised to “stay away to give emergency services space to work.”
There have been no reports of casualties and the extent of the damage is unclear, the prefecture said. Workers who were on site carrying out renovations are safe, the cathedral's archbishop said.
The cathedral was built and rebuilt over a period of more than 800 years and has features ranging from early Gothic to late Flamboyant and Renaissance architecture. It is famous for its three towers, each of which is built in a different style.
In 1822, a lightning strike caused a fire that destroyed the central tower's wooden and lead Renaissance spire. The new iron spire was not completed until six decades later. It stood 500 feet (151 metres) high and briefly made the cathedral the tallest building in the world.
Its 12th-century Saint-Roman tower houses its largest bell tower, named after Joan of Arc, as well as the 64-bell carillon. The cathedral's bells can be heard 5 km away.
The Rouen fire is reminiscent of the devastating 2019 blaze at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which also started during renovation work.
A fire in the wooden structure of the roof of that cathedral was responsible for the disaster.
