Today marks five years since a devastating fire consumed much of Notre Dame de Paris, or “Our lady of Paris,” a nearly 10-centuries-old basilica that sits on an island divided by the two channels of the Seine River in the capital city of France.
Notre Dame is not just a religious site, but one of the most familiar tourists stops in Paris, ranking above both the Arch de Triumph and the Eiffel Tower. A part of Notre Dame dates to 1163, and there have been several additions, with the latest major addition completed in 1790. It survived both the devastation of the French Revolution and the Nazi occupation of Paris from 1940 to 1944.
April 15, 2019
In 2019, Notre Dame’s roof was undergoing maintenance and restoration work. At 6:18 p.m., during the evening service on April 15, the fire alarm sounded. Instead of immediately calling for the pompiers (French firefighters), a building supervisor sent a guard to investigate; however, the supervisor read the alarm incorrectly and sent the guard to a different location within the church.
The location of the fire, now in an advanced stage, was not reported to the Paris Fire Brigade until 6:51 p.m., and the first fire units arrived within one minute from the time of dispatch to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof.
Notre Dame is not a typical church. If you were to give a description during size-up, it would be for a 225-foot masonry church on the “A” and “C” sides, running for two city blocks on both the “B” and “D” sides, with limited access to both the “C” and “D” sides due to a bridge and the Seine River. The options for direct access to the structure are from the city street that runs along the “B” side and a smaller cobblestone public area at the front or “A” side of the structure.
More than 500 firefighters responded to the incident, and the fire was declared “under control” at approximately 9:45 p.m., but not without several Herculean efforts – and a devastating aftermath. One such event was an attempt to save the large iron spire that was affixed midway on the roof of the structure. Efforts to cool the area with several elevated streams unfortunately did not work, and the spire fell more than 150 feet into the sanctuary of the church below.
Another event occurred when the fire threatened the church’s large, heavy bells suspended between the North and South Towers on the front of the structure. It was believed that if the bells fell, both towers would also fail and subsequently collapse.
Approximately 20 firefighters climbed the 225-foot South Tower and crossed over the fire to the North Tower where they dropped fire hoses down to the street below to get water on the portion of the fire that was threatening the bells. This effort saved both bells and, as a result, the two towers that comprised the famed front of Notre Dame. Firefighters continued to work throughout the night and well into the next day, finding and dousing hot spots.
Reconstruction of Notre Dame
Almost immediately, architects, engineers and construction crews made plans to reinforce the structure to remove tons of debris, including the roof and the remains of the large iron spire. Once the reinforcement of the wall buttresses was completed, the debris removal, clean-up and decontamination of the church began. Every piece of the interior was accessed, cleaned or painstakingly replaced with as close to the original materials as possible – literally raising Notre Dame up from its ashes.
During the restoration process, there were several debates about how to balance tradition with modernization. Fortunately, from a fire protection perspective, several modern improvements were included in the updated construction.
Five years later: Notre Dame reconstruction update
Upon a recent visit to Paris, I contacted the fire protection engineering staff to learn more about the new fire protection system designed in this restoration project. Unfortunately, both the construction schedule and a recent heightened security threat level throughout Paris negated an actual tour of the facility. However, I did learn more about the four major fire safety improvements that have been built into the project.
1. Advanced standpipe systems. Two dry standpipe systems with pumps are now located on the “D” side of the basilica – one to feed the South Tower standpipe that also extends across the walkway to the North Tower, and the second at the midpoint of the sanctuary with outlets at the floor and roof levels. Both standpipes have fire pumps housed in the cellar of an adjacent administration building to supply them with water from the Seine when needed.
2. Compartmentalization to limit fire spread. To limit the spread of fire, two complete fire walls were installed to divide the attic and roof into three distinct areas .
3. Fire suppression technology in the attic. An innovative misting sprinkler system was installed that automatically activates when the temperature in the attic or roof exceeds 500 degrees. The system can reduce the temperature from 500 to 100 degrees in a minute or less with little or no water damage due to its almost instantaneous conversion to steam.
4. Comprehensive system integration. These systems are integrated into a state-of-the-art fire alarm system that also includes an air monitoring system throughout the entire structure and a series of thermal imaging cameras covering the more concealed spaces.
It was apparent that fire protection in the renovated Notre Dame de Paris has been a priority in the restorations, not only for the protection of both this historic structure but also for the safety of visitors who will daily come to see it.
Public opening
With a price tag of more than $1 billion, the funds for restoration were raised in part through private donations from around the world, given by those who cherish the Notre Dame de Paris as an integral part of French heritage.
While the original completion date for the renovation and reconstruction of Notre Dame was planned to coincide with the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games to be held in Paris this summer, delays in reconstruction have pushed the reopening to Dec. 8, 2024.
Stay safe.
