The burning of Notre Dame, BBC4

[Katinski]

I've been heart-in-mouth watching this.90mns documentary it was, and now I need a glass of red to steady me nerves
God! Those firefighters were superb. And the Proctor of Notre Dame is a cu*t
Please give it a watch.

Certainly will!

I'll be back . . .

The firefighters were incredible! When you looked at that conflagration - and then they went up to try to save the North Tower, even though the towers were on the point of collapse and they knew they were taking enormous risks - and they had already lost two colleagues earlier that year . . .

. . .I just looked at the flames below them and imagined what it would be like to take a mis-step, or to have the stonework gave way under me and be plunged into that inferno - it was horrific!

I couldn't believe that there wasn't a floor plan available to help the firemen who went in to save the treasures find them - even when they took the curators with them, because of the smoke etc , they hadn't got a clue where they were (and frankly - is a fragment of the True Cross worth a life? No it bliddy isn't!). I was impressed though, that the French fire service has an official artist!

When you say the proctor was a cnt - did you mean the rector (in which case I agree - sanctimonious rsehole of the first water), or did you mean the curator (I would have described him as a twt, but not a cnt, myself)

Fascinating programme - it seems that there is another available about the restoration - I'll have to have a look at that.

I want to see this, I love Notre Dame.

I've just watched the re-building of Notre Dame, a doc. from the Institution of Architects.Well worth a watch (if Architecture's your thing)
Seems it's the 2nd time in its history that it's been subjected to fire.

Yes, the Rector.

He was a nasty piece of work IMO. Everything was about him!

"Oh, God! Why did you do this to meeeeee?"

"Oh, God! What will happen to meeeeeee?"

"Oh, God! What about the valuable treasures? They are worth so much moneeeey!"

I'm a practising Christian - in fact I am a licensed minister - but this was just so whiney and self-serving; and not a though nor a prayer for the men and women - some of them his own staff - who were putting their very lives at risk to save the cathedral and the holy relics in it. I know the pictures etc were irreplaceable - but so is human life, and there wasn't a mention of praying for the fire crews (or going in hiself to help save the artefacts, like the curators did).

Thanks for the reminder about this. I will watch it later. There was a video in the 80's about the fire and restock York Minster. So it will be interesting to compare the two. I also read somewhere, but don't know how true it is. That every fire engine in Yorkshire carried a floor plan of the Minster. So am amazed to hear that there wasn't one for Notre Dame.

*restoration, not restock

Didn't know it was on, I'd have liked to watch it. Will go and see if I can watch it now.

It's now on catchup, greyhills

@SchadenfreudePersonified

He was a nasty piece of work IMO. Everything was about him!

"Oh, God! Why did you do this to meeeeee?"

"Oh, God! What will happen to meeeeeee?"

"Oh, God! What about the valuable treasures? They are worth so much moneeeey!"

I'm a practising Christian - in fact I am a licensed minister - but this was just so whiney and self-serving; and not a though nor a prayer for the men and women - some of them his own staff - who were putting their very lives at risk to save the cathedral and the holy relics in it. I know the pictures etc were irreplaceable - but so is human life, and there wasn't a mention of praying for the fire crews (or going in hiself to help save the artefacts, like the curators did).

Spot on! And that's why I called him, unapologetically, an Ar*e.

Your analysis was spot on Katinski

Interestingly, they have colonies of 200,000 bees on the roof of Norte Dame and the bees survived. Because they are European bees, they don’t abandon the Queen in her hive in a fire. They surround her and try and protect her.
www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47995604

That is interesting Raccordement - and rather wonderful, too.

There's a good programme on BBC4 on How to Build a Cathedral

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00b09rb

Describes how medieval stonemasons etc went about their work - I really enjoyed it.

Thank you @SchadenfreudePersonified
That was a good recommendation.

Just watched the Rebuilding of Notre Dame. It's only just begun and is expected to take longer than the 5 years Macron has promised it would be finished in - but it was very interesting. And I had no idea that there were so many unusual jobs (historic carpenter, stone conservation engineer etc).

Also worth a watch - thanks to Katinski for the first recommendation. I've had some excellent telly as the result.

Just watched it. Actually I thought the Rector came across as ok.
It was the cathedral staff who should have known where things were and had a proper plan to get them out in an emergency. I would imagine the cathedrals in the UK have very well rehearsed plans. I was surprised how uncoordinated the fire crews were at first and how much lives were risked.
I remember being really moved by the crowds all singing. And the other churches being ordered to ring their bells in solidarity.

We'll have to agree to disagree about the rector toddler. I appreciate that praying was pretty much all he could do, but he seemed very self-centred to me - and bearing in mind he's had a year to put a good gloss on his own behaviour, I'll bet he was even worse at the time.

I can totally understand how people forgot the safe codes when they were under stress - but how frustrating must that have bee for the fire crew?

Totally agree though, that not to have an emergency evacuation plan, for measures as well as people, is very short-sighted - especially when there is such a risk of terrorist attack these days, and the cathedral, as a symbol of both Christianity, and of Paris (indeed, of France) would be a possible target.

Mind, I'd be surprised if British cathedrals would be so lackadaisical about it. In my experience, cathedral deans are paranoid about anything happening to the buildings and contents. They are anal about EVERYTHING!

*treasures, not measure - sorry

Most British cathedrals are also in better physical shape. Because they have the restoration needed before it gets to serious. Apparently Note Dame was already extremely fragile before the fire. French churches and cathedrals always seem a bit sad and neglected. Probably because they are state funded.

Pompiers is such a great word though!

Isn't it though Toddler ! - I love that they seem to have army officer ranks as well.

I was surprised that one of the "pompiers" was worried about making a suggestion when his commanders were stumped. I could be wrong, but I think things would be less formal in a British team.

They seemed less organised. Minimal communication between the officers while in the building. And I did wonder if they took more risks with their own safety than would be allowed. When they were told to withdraw from an area and refused. I have no idea what the uk fire service is like though. But the French are much more lax on health and safety than we are. They allowed Macron to make a decision. That really wasn't his to make.

I was also wincing at 3 people being in the bell chamber as the rang the passing bell for Jacque Chirac.

Loved the female firefighter. Her first actual fire and she really got thrown in at the deep end.