France basilica fire: Saint-Donatien in Nantes in ruins
A huge fire has destroyed part of the 19th Century basilica of Saint-Donatien in the French city of Nantes.
The blaze broke out on Monday after morning Mass, with worshippers evacuated from the building, Rev Benoit Bertrand told local media.
Around 40 firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, which are believed to have originated on the roof where work was being carried out.
Two workers escaped from the top of the building unharmed.
The Mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, said the basilica was "an important symbol" for the Catholic community.
In a statement on Facebook (in French) she also thanked firefighters for their "rapid and brave action".
The blaze broke out at around 10:30 local time (08:30 GMT) and may have been linked to "waterproofing work", according to the city's chief fire officer.
3 comments:
Who was doing the "waterproofing work"?
Waterproofing a roof coinciding with a fire? Mere coincidence, right? That Nantes is on the ZUS, list of 751 no-go zones in France is also merely a coincidence?
Exactly what I was thinking.
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