Tourists were allegedly evacuated from the Eiffel Tower after a fire broke out at the iconic French landmark; however, official French agencies are yet to confirm the news.
Firefighters reportedly could not initially locate the source of the fire. However, reports later said that the fire was spotted in the elevator shaft between the tower's first and second floors.
Highlights
- A fire reportedly broke out at the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday, December 24.
- Around 1,200 tourists were evacuated, according to tweets shared by a French journalist.
- The fire may have originated from the overheating of an elevator cable.
- “Flames were observed in the elevator shaft between the 1st and 2nd floors,” the French journalist said.
It is believed the fire is currently under control.
A fire broke out at the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday, December 24, according to multiple news outlets
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The blaze prompted the evacuation of around 1,200 visitors, according to local media outlets.
The Parisien attraction, located south of the River Seine in French capital, was closed to tourists as firefighters worked at the scene.
“A fire is currently raging at the Eiffel Tower. The monument has just been evacuated. An emergency response company has established a perimeter, but firefighters are unable to access the flames,” one social media user said on X.
“A fire is in progress at the Eiffel Tower,” a French journalist said in a series of tweets shared on X
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Another wrote, “A fire is in progress at the Eiffel Tower. Flames were observed in the elevator shaft between the 1st and 2nd floors. All people in the vicinity have been evacuated. The firefighters are still working.”
Some reports said the origin of the blaze may have been the overheating of an elevator cable.
“A fire is in progress at the Eiffel Tower. Flames were observed in the elevator shaft between the 1st and 2nd floors. All people in the vicinity have been evacuated. The firefighters are still working,” a BVoltaire journalist tweeted.
Videos of another fire were also shared on social media after a the roof of a building near the Gare Saint-Lazare erupted in flames
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“Around 1200 people were evacuated. The firefighters have reportedly identified the origin of the flames as overheating of a cable,” the journalist shared in a subsequent tweet.
“The fire has been brought under control and is now out,” he added. “The fire is believed to have been caused by an overheating device near a cable of one of the elevators.”
“After Notre Dame, we now have the Eiffel Tower on fire!” Express quoted another person saying.
Paris was also gripped by the news of another fire on Tuesday, December 24, after videos of a building engulfed in flames were shared on social media.
The roof of a building located near the Gare Saint-Lazare erupted in flames, leading to firefighters rushing to the scene to quell the fire.
“It smells like a burner all over the neighborhood, and on the clothes. Firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after 9 a.m.,” a local said.
An employee working in the area said, “I was at the shop and I started to smell the smoke. It was 9:15. I went to see. Initially, there was a little smoke but it went pretty fast, it quickly spread.”
The fire that allegedly shut down the Eiffel Tower came weeks after the Notre Dame Cathedral reopened earlier this month
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The fire that reportedly led to the Eiffel Tower’s shutdown came just weeks after the country’s Notre Dame Cathedral reopened five years after a devastating fire.
The beloved 12th-century cathedral was ravaged by a 2019 fire that started in the roof space and caused significant destruction.
The 12th-century Notre Dame Cathedral underwent extensive restoration after the devastating fire in 2019
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
After extensive restoration, the Notre Dame Cathedral finally reopened to the public earlier this month.
The reopening was attended by US President-elect Donald Trump, US first lady Jill Biden, the UK’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in addition to over 2,500 guests.
Netizens expressed concern after the news of the Eiffel Tower came at the heels of the Notre Dame Cathedral’s reopening
