Fire breaks out at historic Nantes cathedral in France, arson suspected

About 100 firefighters have contained the blaze in the Gothic cathedral, which was built between the 15th and 19th centuries

The organ was destroyed but the damage is not as serious as last year’s fire at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris

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A French police officer directs traffic while firefighters work to put out a fire that broke out at Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral in Nantes, causing serious damage. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:55pm, 18 Jul 2020Updated: 5:59pm, 18 Jul 2020

A major fire broke out on Saturday inside a Gothic cathedral in the western French city of Nantes, but firefighters brought the blaze under control within hours, emergency services said.

Officials said the cathedral’s organ was destroyed and its platform could collapse, but added that the damage was not comparable to last year’s fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Fire crews were alerted just before 8am local time to the blaze at the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul and around 100 personnel rushed to the scene.

French firefighters battle a blaze at the Cathedral of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul in Nantes. Photo: Reuters

After two hours, emergency teams managed to contain the fire at the historic structure, built between the 15th and 19th centuries, said regional fire chief General Laurent Ferlay.

“We are not in a Notre Dame de Paris scenario. The roof has not been touched,” Ferlay said.

Prosecutor Pierre Sennes told reporters three fires had been started at the site and authorities were treating the incident as a criminal act. He gave no other details.