HELICOPTER.
THERE'S NO INDICATION THAT
ANYONE SURVIVED THE CRASH.
MEANTIME THE FATE OF ONE OF THE
WORLD'S MOST RENOWNED CATHEDRALS
BUILT IN THE 14TH CENTURY IS
STILL UNKNOWN.
EIGHT MONTHS AFTER A MAJOR FIRE
DEVASTATED NOTRE DAME.
THERE WERE SUPPORTS AROUND THE
FRAGILE SCAFFOLDING.
AND THE NEXT STEP IS TO REMOVE
THAT BEFORE 2021.
>> IT WILL BE OUT OF DANGER WHEN
WE TAKE OUT THE REMAINING
SCAFFOLDING, THERE'S ALWAYS A
RISK.
TODAY WE FIGURE A 50% CHANCE
THAT IT WILL BE SAVED AND ALSO A
50% CHANCE OF SCAFFOLDING
FALLING ON THE THREE VAULTS.
THE BUILDING IS FRAGILE.
ED: JOINING ME NOW A STRUCTURAL
ENGINEERING, THE VICE-PRESIDENT
THE CTL GROUP.
RICH, APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN.
>> THANKS, ED, A PLEASURE TO BE
WITH YOU.
WHEN YOU HEAR A 50/50 CHANCE
BASICALLY THAT THEY CAN SAVE IT,
WHAT DOES THROUGH YOUR MIND?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE
SPECIAL NATURE OF THE BUILDING
AND THE FIRE THAT OCCURRED.
FOLLOWING THE DISASTER SUCH AS
THIS, AFTER THE FIREFIGHTING AND
RESCUE ACTIVITIES ARE COMPLETED
THE FIRST PHASE IS GENERALLY FOR
ENGINEERS AND CONTRACTORS TO GO
THROUGH AND INSPECT AND
STABILIZE THE REMAINING PORTIONS
OF THE STRUCTURE.
SO THEY WILL LOOK AT THE DAMAGED
ELEMENTS AND MAKE A
DETERMINATION WHETHER THEY'RE
STABLE, AND IF THERE IS A RISK
OF FURTHER COLLAPSE, THEY WILL
DEVISE A PLAN FOR DEMOLITION AND
BRACING BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY DURING
THE RECONSTRUCTION WORK, YOU
WANT TO AVOID FURTHER PROPERTY
DAMAGES AND INJURY.
AND GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF
SCAFFOLDING THAT WAS PRESIDENT
WHICH IS REPORTED TO BE 250 TONS
OF MATERIAL THAT'S NOW DAMAGED,
IT'S NOT SURPRISING THERE'S SOME
UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE CONDITION
OF THE REMAINING CATHEDRAL AND
SCHEDULE OF RECONSTRUCTION.
ED: WE'RE SHOWING THAT
SCAFFOLDING AND A MOMENT AGO YOU
MAY HAVE SEEN THE FIRE, THE
DRAMATIC VIDEO, SUCH A BIG STORY
OF A FEW MONTHS AGO.
WHAT IS YOUR SENSE ABOUT THE
NEXT STEPS?
YOU LAID OUT SORT OF, GO THROUGH
THE SCAFFOLDING, YOU MAKE YOUR
ASSESSMENTS, WHAT ARE THE NEXT
STEPS?
>> WELL, THE VISUAL PORTIONS OF
THE CATHEDRAL THAT MOST PEOPLE
ASSOCIATE WITH IT, THE VAULTED
CEILINGS, THE WALLET
CEILINGS, THE WALLS, THE BELL
TOWERS, THOSE ARE CONSTRUCTED OF
STONE AND THAT'S NONCOMBUSTABLE
MATERIALS AND BY ALL REPORTS
THOSE ELEMENTS WENT THROUGH THE
FIRE IN RELATIVELY GOOD
CONDITION.
THE PROBLEM WAS THE HUGE
TIMBER-FRAMED ROOF AND THE
SPIRE, 300 FEET ABOVE THE STREET
WHICH IS WHAT MOST PEOPLE
REMEMBER FROM THE FIRE, THE HUGE
TIMBER SPIRE FALLING DOWN AND
COLLAPSING, SO ALL OF THAT
MATERIAL FELL DOWN ON TOP OF THE
VAULTED CEILING.
THE SCAFFOLDING BY AND LARGE WAS
LOCATED ON THE ROOF IN THE
IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THAT
SPIRE.
ED: RIGHT.
>> ALL OF THAT NOW IS A TWISTED
MASS OF DEBRIS ON TOP.
SO THE NEXT STEPS ARE GOING TO
BE REMOVE THE SCAFFOLDING, TO
REMOVE IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT IS
SAFE AND THEN TO COMPLETE THIS
INSPECTION AND STABLIZATION
PROCESS WHICH IS GOING TO
INVOLVE HAVING TO EXAMINE, I
WOULD ASSUME BOTH THE UNDERSIDE
OF THE VAULTED CEILING AS WELL
AS THE TOP SIDE SO IT'S A LOT OF
WORK.
ED: ABSOLUTELY.
AND WHEN WE SEE THAT DRAMATIC
VIDEO OF THE SPIRE COMING DOWN,
IS THERE JUST NO HOPE OF SAVING
ANY OF THAT SPIRE?
IS IT JUST A COMPLETE
RECONSTRUCTION OR ARE THERE
PIECES OF IT THAT YOU THINK CAN
BE SAVED?
>> WELL, FROM ALL REPORTS, THE
SPIRE ITSELF WAS ALMOST
COMPLETELY DESTROYED.
SO THEY MAY BE ABLE TO SAVE SOME
REMNANTS, BUT I IMAGINE THE
SPIRE IS GOING TO BE
RECONSTRUCTED IN PRETTY MUCH ITS
ENTIRETY.