A fire has engulfed the spire of a famous Gothic cathedral in the French city of Rouen, prompting evacuations, local authorities said.
Images posted by the prefecture on Twitter showed black smoke billowing from the canopy and scaffolding at the top of the roughly 150-meter (495-foot) tall building.
Officials say the fire has now been contained.
Mayor Nicolas Meyer Rossignol said the fire’s “origin is currently unknown,” adding that “all public resources” had been mobilized to respond.
About 70 firefighters and 40 fire engines took part in the blaze. FlamingFire Chief Stefan Guezek told local media:
The Cathedral of the Assumption has been evacuated and a security perimeter has been set up, the prefecture said.
No casualties were reported and the extent of damage to buildings was unclear, local authorities said.
“A fire broke out at the top of the spire, which is made of metal and not wood,” the Seine-Maritime prefecture told AFP.
Rouen Cathedral, featured in numerous 19th century artworks by the impressionist painter Claude Monet, is currently undergoing major restoration work.
According to its official website, the building was constructed over several centuries, with parts of it dating back more than 900 years, to the 12th century. Between 1876 and 1880, it was the tallest building in the world.
