The cathedral’s designers built it to withstand the sort of fire that burned away its roof
EMMANUEL MACRON was unequivocal. Speaking after a fire destroyed the roof and spire of the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, the French president vowed: “I solemnly say tonight: we will rebuild it together”. An international fund-raising drive has already received its first big pledges. François-Henri Pinault, boss of the Kering luxury-goods company, said he will donate €100m; the family of Bernard Arnault and his LVMH group, another luxury-goods firm, promised a further €200m.
Stone may be more resistant to fire than wood, but it is not immune to its effects. One critical question is just how hot the vault became. There was plenty of fuel at Notre Dame. The cathedral’s roof was held up by oak beams so densely packed that they were known as “the forest”. Stone is a poor conductor of heat, which means that the temperature on the side of a masonry block facing a fire can be far higher than on the side facing away. Such thermal stresses can cause big cracks. After a fire at York Minster cathedral in 1984 around 100 tons of cracked stonework needed replacing. Even the cooling process can cause problems.
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