France: Spire of Rouen Cathedral in flames (VIDEO)

The spire of the cathedral in the northern French city of Rouen caught fire on Thursday.

Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol posted an image of smoke rising from the cathedral on X, formerly Twitter, adding that the cause of the blaze was "unknown at this stage."

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Début d'incendie en cours sur la flèche de la cathédrale de @Rouen. Origine inconnue à ce stade. Tous les moyens publics sont mobilisés. Merci de faciliter leur intervention. pic.twitter.com/Lnu1vMrw5p

— Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol (@NicolasMayerNMR) July 11, 2024 >

The cathedral was painted several times by French impressionist Claude Monet in the late 19th century.

BFM television channel showed a dark plume of smoke rising from the spire. A local official said the building had been evacuated and emergency services were on the scene.