The
Notre-Dame fire broke out in the cathedral of
Notre-Dame de Paris on 15 April 2019, causing severe damage to
the building's spire, roof, and upper walls. The fire resulted in the contamination of the site and nearby areas of the city with toxic dust and lead. Investigators believed that the fire was caused by a cigarette or an electrical
short circuit; the prosecutor of Paris found no evidence showing the fire was started deliberately. The cathedral's wooden spire, or
flèche, was built by
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the
Gothic Revival style and installed in 1859, weighing around 250 tons. This photograph, taken during the 2019 fire, depicts the spire of Notre-Dame aflame; it collapsed shortly afterwards.
Photograph credit: Guillaume Levrier