Submission

I am a non professional photographer, usually shooting travel and wildlife photography. I was there when Notre Dame burnt down. Arriving on the Pont Saint Louis bridge just a few minutes after the start of the fire, the dense, yellow smoke, rising above the Haussmann-style buildings on the Seine riverbank, announces the violence of the blaze. The flames have already ignited the spire, the transept and the nave. Stunned residents witness the scene in disbelief, speechless as the fire progresses at a furious pace. The oak frame appears incandescent through the melting lead roof tiles. Flames surround the cross and the spire clings desperately to its molten wood structure. The smoke grows thicker invading the cathedral and the Paris skyline. In less than an hour, the roofs of the transept and the nave collapse, bringing down the cross. Seconds later, the spire tumbles in an explosion of fluorescent smoke. Onlookers stand in shock, many in tears at the inconceivable spectacle and the limited means deployed by Paris firefighters. The few firehoses visible at the back of the building trigger the fear of Notre Dame’s total destruction. After the spire and the roof have collapsed, the fire seems to stop gaining ground. Firefighters will win the fight later in the night.