Paris: A “computer glitch” may have been behind the fast-spreading fire that ravaged Notre Dame, the cathedral’s rector said on Friday, as architects and construction workers tried to figure out how to stabilise the damaged structure and protect it from the elements. The fire burned through the lattice of enormous oak beams supporting the monument’s vaulted stone ceiling, dangerously weakening the building.
The surrounding neighbourhood has been blocked off, and stones have continued to tumble off the sides of the cathedral since Monday evening’s devastating blaze. In a meeting of local business owners, rector Patrick Chauvet did not elaborate on the exact nature of the glitch, adding that “we may find out what happened in two or three months.” On Thursday, Paris police investigators said they think an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire.
