Notre-Dame fire

On 15 April 2019, at 18:18 CEST, a structural fire broke out in the roof space of Notre-Dame de Paris, a medieval Catholic cathedral in Paris, France, part of the "Paris, Banks of the Seine" UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fire, which investigators believe was started by a cigarette or an electrical short circuit, destroyed the cathedral's wooden spire (flèche) and most of the wooden roof and severely damaged the cathedral's upper walls. The vaulted stone ceiling largely contained the burning roof as it collapsed, preventing extensive damage to the interior. Many works of art and religious relics were moved to safety, but others suffered smoke damage, and some of the exterior art was damaged or destroyed. The cathedral's altar, two pipe organs, and three 13th-century rose windows suffered little or no damage. Three emergency workers were injured. The fire contaminated the site and nearby areas of Paris with toxic dust and lead. The cathedral was then closed immediately. Two days after the blaze, President of France Emmanuel Macron set a five-year deadline to restore it. Notre-Dame did not hold a Christmas Mass in 2019 for the first time since 1803. By September 2021, donors had contributed over €840 million to the rebuilding effort. After three years of reconstruction, the cathedral reopened on 7 December 2024, and follow-up restoration work on the cathedral's surroundings and interior fittings continued into 2026.