Notre Dame’s Age, Design Fueled Fire and Foiled Firefighters

Notre Dame’s Age, Design Fueled Fire and Foiled Firefighters
The steeple of the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral collapses as the cathedral is engulfed in flames in central Paris on April 15, 2019. Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images
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Is there anything firefighters could have done to control the blaze that tore through Paris’ historic Notre Dame Cathedral sooner?

Experts say the combination of a structure that’s more than 850 years old, built with heavy timber construction and soaring open spaces, and lacking sophisticated fire-protection systems led to the quick rise of flames Monday, which jeopardized the entire cathedral before firefighters brought the blaze under control.