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Thread: Notre Dame is burning

  1. #21
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife View Post
    So far as I understand no one's been hurt and I have yet to hear the T word being thrown around.....this to me is indeed a big loss but things could have been worse. I continue to hope that it's not an act of terrorism. Rob
    I never suspected terrorism at first. Interesting where your mind goes.

    Having worked in historic buildings under construction, I know that construction fires are very feared and fairly common. So far in news reports that is what is suspected here.

  2. #22
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KayLR View Post
    I read that it was undergoing some renovations. Perhaps some equipment sparked a flame? Who knows.

    I visited Notre Dame in my teens as a part of a tour/homestay program. It is one of the very few remaining memories that stand out from that trip.

    Horrible and tragic. Such majestic buildings---it never crosses our minds that something like this would happen to them, they're so much a part of the city's persona, culture and history. Imagine, its building was begun more than 1,000 years ago!

    What strikes me is that Paris is on a river, yet I didn't see any aircraft dumping water like we see here every fire season. Maybe they aren't so equipped?
    You and Trump. Great minds, etc.

  3. #23
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KayLR View Post
    What strikes me is that Paris is on a river, yet I didn't see any aircraft dumping water like we see here every fire season. Maybe they aren't so equipped?
    In my experience, you don't just "dump" water on a fire, especially in a building that has had its structural integrity compromised by the heat.

    Water is used in a fairly precise and efficient way when really putting out a fire, it's more complicated than the Boy Scouts prepared me for :-)

    A very small amount of water delivered to the seat of the fire can produce great results. Lots of water in the wrong place just makes a mess and causes more damage.

    I'd love to see what their fire preplan looked like for this building. Around here, we have plans on file for every significant building in our community, with details on what to worry about, and how best to approach dealing with the building.

    I can't imagine trying to fight the Notre Dame fire once it got going and into the wood support structures and the attic/roof spaces.

  4. #24
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife View Post
    So far as I understand no one's been hurt and I have yet to hear the T word being thrown around.....this to me is indeed a big loss but things could have been worse. I continue to hope that it's not an act of terrorism. Rob
    I think you were the first to mention "the T word". Kudos!

  5. #25
    Senior Member gimmethesimplelife's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by iris lilies View Post
    I never suspected terrorism at first. Interesting where your mind goes.

    Having worked in historic buildings under construction, I know that construction fires are very feared and fairly common. So far in news reports that is what is suspected here.
    Given that Paris has been the site of terrorist acts in the past, is it so far fetched that anyone's mind might go there? Intetesting take on your part, IL, and I say this with no snark. Intetesting take. Rob

  6. #26
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife View Post
    Given that Paris has been the site of terrorist acts in the past, is it so far fetched that anyone's mind might go there?
    In the absence of data, yes, it is a bit far-fetched.

    The organized attacks in 2015 were quite different in character than a single-building fire. To leap to the conclusion that this particular fire may be terror related just tells me that the terrorists have done a fine job in making people see monsters under the bed.

  7. #27
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
    In the absence of data, yes, it is a bit far-fetched.

    The organized attacks in 2015 were quite different in character than a single-building fire. To leap to the conclusion that this particular fire may be terror related just tells me that the terrorists have done a fine job in making people see monsters under the bed.
    Ditto. Terrorism didnt occur to me.

    Maybe some terrosits groups will try to take credit, though. But only very low level ignorant ones because fire science will identify the source of this tragedy fire post haste.

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  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by iris lilies View Post
    Ditto. Terrorism didnt occur to me.

    Maybe some terrosits groups will try to take credit, though. But only very low level ignorant ones because fire science will identify the source of this tragedy fire post haste.
    Well, it's tricky business, as fire likes to destroy evidence, and firefighters who are fighting fires are pretty good at destroying evidence while they are doing their work.

    They sent me to arson investigation school a few years back, because we treat every fire scene here as a potential crime scene until we rule out that possibility, and they wanted me to know what to look for, and what not to destroy until we properly observed/documented it.

    Generally the investigation takes days-to-weeks, because it's a pain sifting through the rubble. Sometimes you get lucky and have a firm idea of the cause of the fire early on.

    The Paris authorities have already issued a statement on the matter, so I presume they found a plausible, non-troubling source of ignition already.

  10. #30
    Senior Member Tradd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by razz View Post
    Whenever I thought about cathedral construction techniques when reading Ken Follett's "Pillars of the Earth," which is actually set in the 12th century, I would think of Notre Dame with its spire reaching forever.
    I loved that book.

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