Hunt for arsonists after blaze rips through another French cathedral
POLICE in France have launched an arson investigation after a devastating fire ripped through a 15th Century cathedral yesterday.
Dramatic television footage showed smoke billowing from Nantes cathedral in a chilling echo of the catastrophic blaze that destroyed the roof and spire at Notre Dame in Paris last year.
Shocked residents and tourists watched as more than 100 firefighters battled the fire at Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral, in the heart of the ancient port city.
The blaze destroyed the 17th Century organ – called the ‘soul of the cathedral’ by worshippers.
Stained-glass windows were shattered and black smoke spewed from the stunning building.
Fire crews smashed their way inside to rescue priceless ecclesiastical and art treasures as the inferno raged.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised them, saying they were ‘taking all the risks to save this Gothic jewel of the city’.
Later Nantes public prosecutor Pierre Sennes said: ‘An investigation has been launched for arson. The fire did not break out by chance.’
He said three fires were lit inside the building shortly after 7am, causing millions of pounds of damage.
Reports said police were hunting suspects they believe may have broken into the building overnight.
There was some relief last night when fire chief Laurent Ferlay said the damage to the cherished building was not as bad as first feared.
‘We are not in a Notre Dame de Paris scenario. The roof has not been touched,’ he said.
The cathedral was previously partly destroyed in 1944 during a Second World War bombing raid by Allied forces.
And in 1972, a blaze ravaged its ancient wooden roof, which was finally rebuilt 13 years later in concrete.
‘The fire of 1972 is in our minds, but at this stage the situation is not comparable,’ Nantes mayor Johanna Rolland reassured reporters last night.
French prime minister Jean Castex and interior minister Gerald Darmanin were among officials who travelled to Nantes to survey the damage last night.