The French general overseeing the reconstruction of the fire-devastated Notre Dame Cathedral says the Paris landmark is not saved yet because there is still a risk its vaulted ceilings might collapse.
Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin told a French broadcaster Sunday that "the cathedral is still in a state of peril" after last year's fire. He says "there's an extremely important step ahead, which is to remove the scaffolding that had been built around the spire" before the April 15 inferno. Georgelin has been named by French President Emmanuel Macron to lead the cathedral's reconstruction project.
An official with the Notre Dame cathedral told the Associated Press last month the cathedral is still very fragile. Crux, a publication that covers the Catholic church published the Associated Press report which said the rector of Notre Dame, Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, told the news agency the cathedral is still very fragile.
According to Chauvet, who spoke to the Associated Press last month, even though there is still a 50/50 chance the structure will saved, they still feel confident. Georgelin still believes his team members are on the right path. One issue that is said to be slowing down work on the structure is the requirement that they must clean up toxic lead dust which was released during the fire. Nearby air and ground has been polluted with the toxic dust.
French President Macron has said he wants to see the cathedral rebuilt by 2024, which is when Paris will host the Summer Olympics.
