Notre-Dame fire: Paris public prosecutor rules out arson as L’Oreal donates €200m to repairs
French authorities believe the devastating fire that has caused untold damage to Paris’ Notre-Dame cathedral was the result of an accident.
The Paris prosecutor told media today that there was no sign that the inferno that engulfed the historic cathedral was started on purpose.
Read more: Notre-Dame fire: French billionaires pledge €300m for repairs
“We are favouring the theory of an accident,” Remy Heitz told reporters, according to Reuters.
The public prosecutor has a team of 50 investigators working on finding out what started the fire yesterday, but warned it would prove to be a “long” and “complex” undertaking.
Parisians were forced to watch Notre-Dame's famous spire burn last night (Source: Getty)
Just a day after the blaze and donations to repairs have amounted to hundreds of millions of euros.
L'Oreal became the latest French giant to offer money towards the repair works, offering €200m alongside its founders, the Bettencourt Meyers family.
French energy giant Total also said it would donate, with chief executive Patrick Pouyanne committing to give €100m to help reconstruct the building.
KKR co-founder Henry Kravis and wife Marie-Josee Kravis have also vowed to provide $10m (€8.85m) to repair the cathedral.
Their promises of cash followed pledges of €300m from two French fashion bosses. LVMH chief, billionaire Bernard Arnault, pledged €200m while Gucci owner and Kering boss Francois-Henri Pinault offered €100m.
Many Parisians prayed outside the cathedral as the fire continued to burn (Source: Getty)
Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron called on the world to help restore the building that was brought to global fame in Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
He said France would look “beyond our borders” for help in an emotional speech at the foot of the still-blazing Gothic edifice last night, saying: “I am solemnly telling you tonight: this cathedral will be rebuilt by all of us together.
“It’s probably part of France’s destiny and it will be our project for the years to come.”
Japan also pledged support for the rebuilding work and French cultural heritage charity Fondation du Patrimoine has launched an appeal for cash.
Other funds are being raised unofficially on crowdfunding sites like Just Giving.
Smoke billows from the destroyed roof of the Notre-Dame (Source: Getty)
Firefighters have warned that they will not have extinguished all the flames for several more days.
Artworks from the Notre-Dame will be moved to the city’s famous Louvre museum, authorities also revealed.
Culture minister Franck Riester said that firefighters had managed to save many of the priceless pieces from the ravaged building overnight.
Other paintings will not be removed from the 850-year-old cathedral until Friday, he said. They are undamaged by the fire, but may have smoke damage. They will be dehumidified and restored in the Louvre.
Bystanders could only watch as 500 firefighters tackled the blaze (Source: Getty)
A fire which started on the scaffolded rooftop of Notre-Dame last night later spread to the remaining roof.
Parisians watched on in horror as the spire, a 19th-century reconstruction of the original, was engulfed in flames last night and collapsed through Notre-Dame’s roof.
The steeple and spire were engulfed by the inferno as the cathedral's roof collapsed (Source: Getty)
Later in the evening firefighters struggled to get the blaze under control and it ripped through the main body of the building, which still serves as a functioning Catholic Church.
Today European Parliament president Donald Tusk called on the whole of the EU to help rebuild the cathedral.
“I know that France could do it alone, but at stake here is something more than just material help,” he said.
The blaze could be seen for miles (Source: Getty)
French junior interior minister Laurent Nunez paid tribute to the 500 firefighters who battled the flames throughout the night, managing to extinguish them this morning.
Read more: Fire at Notre-Dame cathedral
“They fought the fire with a lot of courage and determination from outside, and also from inside, and they really risked their lives, which allowed us to save the building,” he said.
It is still unclear what caused the fire, but many have speculated the spark may have come from building works on the cathedral’s roof.
Firefighters were battling the blaze for hours yesterday (Source: Getty)