Second day into Notre-Dame fire: What's new?
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‍A five-year plan to restore the architecture by Macron
In an address to the nation from the Elysee Palace, President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral within five years; a process some experts said would take decades.
"We will rebuild the cathedral even more beautifully and I want it to be finished within five years," Macron said. "And we can do it."
His fast timescale for restoration means that the reconstruction of the cathedral will be completed by the time Paris hosts the Olympic Games in 2024.
Despite his comments, experts had warned a full restoration will take many years. "I'd say decades," said Eric Fischer, head of the foundation in charge of restoring the 1,000-year-old Strasbourg cathedral.
The investigation into the cause "long and complex"
Even though the French prosecutor dismissed the cause for the fire to be "a voluntary act," the main cause has yet to be known.
The police, who suspect the operation to replace the steeple's lead covering may have triggered the disaster, have already spoken to around 30 people from five different construction companies.
Public prosecutor Remy Heitz has said the investigation promises to be "long and complex."
Work to secure to continue into Thursday
Within a critical time window of 15-30 minutes by a team of 400 firefighters, the building had been saved. Images from within showed its immense walls standing proud, with statues still in place and a gleaming golden cross above the altar.
According to Junior interior minister Laurent Nunez, though "some weaknesses" in the 850-year-old structure had been identified, overall it is "holding up OK."
He also told reporters that work to secure the structure would continue into Thursday.

Global contest to redesign: Should Notre-Dame be rebuilt as it was?

A global contest was launched on Wednesday by the French government to invite international architects for a redesign of Notre-Dame Cathedral's historic spire after the Monday night's catastrophic blaze sent the towering iconic spire crashing through the vaulted ceiling.
The government's announcement raised the question as to whether Notre-Dame be rebuilt as it was.
The cathedral was built over nearly 200 years starting in the middle of the 12th century; the lead-covered spire was only added in the middle of 1800s by architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc during restoration work.
"The international competition will allow us to ask the question of whether we should even recreate the spire as it was conceived by Viollet-le-Duc," said French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
"Or whether, as is often the case during the evolution of heritage, we should endow Notre Dame with a new spire that reflects the techniques and challenges of our era."
(with input from Reuters, AFP)