Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/04/16/video-from-inside-notre-dame-a.html
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The Sapeurs Pompiers did an absolutely astounding job of saving it. As @AnnaTheWeird pointed out yesterday, the vaulted ceiling was able to preserve most of the cathedral and, it seems the altar. I haven’t read any more detail recently, but they’re also saying that most of the artifacts and artwork made it out. This is certainly a tragedy, but it seems they did a remarkable job here.
Even for us non-believers, this image is profoundly inspiring.
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speak for yourself. please.
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Ok, everyone. Just to clarify, not all non-believers were inspired by seeing the votives remain lit in a cathedral that was prevented from burning to cinders. Thanks for stopping in to make this about you, pal.
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Where’s the flower girl who will save the world?
Seriously though, this is good to see.
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Thank you SuperMoralizer, for your quick reaction !
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Yup. Dark Souls scenery alright.
and kudos to that little guy too :
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Oh no! I believe that the 14th century carved wooden artwork at the choir is under (or is part of) the burned rubble pile. Can anyone else confirm?
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Great, now I have that song stuck in my head.
i actually was thinking that it looked far better than i was expecting. i mean, so much wood and fabric still intact!
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I would think that, with a roof that is burning about 25 meters above the floor of the cathedral, most of the damage at ground level would indeed only be from debris that fell down, not from the heat or fire itself. Heat still has that tendency to rise, fortunately.
Also, with most of the ground floor way more accessible to the firefighters than the roof itself, it seems entirely possible that they were able put out any burning pieces that fell down more easily, further limiting damage at floor level.
Indeed, the real problem with putting out the flames was probably the logistical (and physical) challenge of pumping enough water up to roof height!
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still, falling embers and larger pieces of wood could light things below on fire, and all that water from the fire hoses… i was just surprised it looked so relatively normal.
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Indeed they did. Though the BBC just reported that it took 23 minutes for the first squad to arrive after smoke was seen coming from the roof. And during last night’s live reporting, things were said that clearly implied there had been no plan in place for any sort of incident of this kind. I say this not to criticise them just to report what was being said. The fact that they did save it is truly remarkable given how fast fire spreads in old dry oak, in a roof structure often referred to colloqially as ‘the forest’ - giving you some idea of how much oak was up there.
The BBC also reported, tonight, that it was within 15-30 minutes of being a completely uncontrolllable total loss. So they saved it - by the skin of everyone’s collective teeth - and huge thanks to them for doing that.
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This Bloodborne sequel is a little too real for me
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I’m sure that’s totally true. What I didn’t understand until yesterday is that there are at least three jurisdictions between the diocese, city and historical preservation. That kind of thing usually ends up in an “I thought that was your job” kind of situation. I doubt anyone at those levels deserves praise right now.
I was just reading that statement from the fire chief (I think) saying they were so close to losing it completely. When I was watching it yesterday it certainly seemed to be heading that way, but apparently the fire crew went into the building to wet the cathedral and towers. Truly heroic. The fact that 75% or more of the cathedral is intact, including sconces, is just incredible.
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While still a tragic thing, it’s very good that the damage is not nearly as bad as could have been.
Good on the French firefighters.
Also there’s this:
Victor Hugo essentially saved Notre Dame with his infamous novel, and now the near destruction of Notre Dame has revived interest in Hugo’s book.
Stuff like this makes me kind of believe that the Rose just might be real, in some reality, somewhere.
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Seriously. I find this sudden spurt of sentimental ‘humility’ in the general public very annoying.
Retrofitting sprinklers in the attic might have really helped. A lesson here for others managing historic, pre-firecode buildings.
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The organ.
Back to my dream-trip plans!!! 
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