TOMORROW THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME
ON THIS TAX DAY.
>>> NOW I’M GOING TO TAKE YOU
BACK TO OUR BREAKING NEWS IN
PARIS.
PARIS. I MENTIONED IT BEFORE.
NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL IS ON FIRE.
THESE IMAGES ON YOUR SCREEN
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. OF COURSE THAT IS IN THE CENTRAL
OF THE CITY.
JOINING US ON THE PHONE, KEN LA
CLAIRE
CLAIRE HE WAS INSIDE WHEN THE FIRE
BROKE OUT AND HE WAS THEN
EVACUATED BY FIRE MARSHALS
WALK ME THROUGH WHAT HAS
HAPPENED TO YOU?
>> HI, STEPHANIE
IT’S JUST ENGULFED, THE WHOLE
BACK HALF -- YOU CAN’T EVEN SEE
THIS FIRE ANYMORE.
IT’S -- I DON’T KNOW IF YOU HAVE
PICTURES OF IT NOW
THE SPOKE IS TERRIBLE.
BUT THE FLAMES ARE -- HAVE TO BE
30, 40 FEET ABOVE THIS FIRE.
THAT BACK HALF OF THE BUILDING
IS COMPLETELY, COMPLETELY
ENGULFED
ENGULFED >> HOW FAST DID THIS HAPPEN?
WHEN WERE YOU INSIDE THE
CATHEDRAL?
CATHEDRAL? >> NO LESS THAN 15 MINUTES AGO
AND WE WALKED TO THE CORNER NOT
KNOWING WHAT WAS GOING ON.
AND WE TURN BACK AND I’M -- I’M
MAYBE 150 YARDS OFF.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING AT THE FRONT
OF THE BUILDING, I’M ON THE
RIGHT CORNER, ABOUT 150 YARDS,
JUST OVER THAT LITTLE WATER WAY.
AND IT’S ORANGE AND AS NASTY
AND -- THERE’S A -- THERE’S
CONSTRUCTION, SO THE INSPIRE WAS
SURROUNDED BY SCAFFOLDING.
THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, IT’S
REALLY TAKEN OFF AND WE’VE
ACTUALLY -- IT’S NOT COMING --
ON THE SIDE THERE’S A ROUND --
LIKE A MOSAIC OF STONE AND THE
FLAMES WERE SHOOTING OUT THE
SIDE OF THAT
IT LOOKS LIKE THE SIDE IS BURNT
OUT.
OUT. THE BUILDING IS BACK
THE CENTER OF -- LIKE FULLY
SURROUNDING THAT TALLEST SPIRE
IN THE BACK.
>> THOSE IMAGES ARE DEVASTATING.
THAT CATHEDRAL BUILT IN 1160
WERE YOU INSIDE THE CATHEDRAL
AND WERE THEN EVACUATED OR YOU
WERE ALREADY --
>> NO.
>> NO. I HAD ALREADY LEFT
WE HAD ALREADY LEFT.
MAYBE 15 MINUTES AND WE SAT IN A
LITTLE CAFE THAT HAD THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF THE CATHEDRAL.
WE SAT AND WERE LOOKING AT IT
AND ENJOYING THE DAY AND THE
SUNSHINE AND THE NEXT THING YOU
KNOW WE SEE A LITTLE BIT OF
SMOKE AND DIDN’T THINK ANYTHING
OF IT.
OF IT. IT STARTED TO BILLGET WORSE AND
WORSE AND NOW THIS IS A TRAGEDY.
>> IN THE STREETS YOU SAW OTHER
PEOPLE EVACUATE.
PEOPLE EVACUATE. WAS IT CHAOTIC
WAS IT ORDERLY
THIS IS A BUSY TIME FOR A LOT OF
TOURISTS TO COME
WE’RE LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY FROM
EASTER
EASTER >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. IT LOOKS LIKE TO EVERYONE IS
SPREAD OUT PRETTY WELL
THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE STANDING
AND STARING BACK AT THE
BUILDING
BUILDING THERE’S NO RUNNING OR CHAOS.
I CAN’T SEE THE VERY FRONT OF
THE BUILDING
THE BUILDING BUT I’M SURE THAT’S ALL
EVACUATED BY NOW
I’M GOING TO TRY TO STAND UP ON
THIS WALL HERE AND GET A BETTER
VIEW
VIEW THEY HAD THE WHOLE FRONT OF THE
BUILDING WHICH IS WHERE THE
PEOPLE SORT OF HANG AROUND AND
THAT’S WHERE THE LINE IS TO GO
IN, THAT’S COMPLETELY CLEARED
NOW.
NOW. AND EVERYONE IS AT LEAST -- THE
CLOSEST PEOPLE ARE 100, 150
YARDS AWAY.
YARDS AWAY. >> FROM THE IMAGES I SEE --
>> IT’S --
>> THE ROOF IS JUST ENGULFED IN
FLAMES
FLAMES OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE FIREFIGHTERS
ALL AROUND THE BUILDING.
DO YOU SEE ANY OF IT -- DO YOU
SEE THE SITUATION GETTING BETTER
IN ANY WAY
IT APPEARS TO BE GETTING WORSE
>> I’M STARTING TO FEEL A LITTLE
OF ASH OR WHAT -- YOU CAN FEEL A
LITTLE BIT OF STUFF FALLING.
THE ANGLE THAT YOU’RE LOOKING
AT, YOU SEE THE FRONT, THE
SQUARE TOWERS IN THE FRONT.
>> TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. SO I -- IF YOU’RE LOOKING AT
THE -- FROM THE COURTYARD IN THE
FRONT, OKAY, YOU’RE LOOKING AT
THE BUILDING, I’M TO THE RIGHT
SIDE OF THAT
AND I’M ABOUT 100 YARDS AWAY
SO I’M LOOKING AT THE CORNER AND
I DON’T KNOW THE NORTH, WEST,
FROM HERE.
FROM HERE. BUT I’M OFF THE RIGHT OF THE --
OF THE RIGHT FRONT CORNER OF THE
BUILDING AND IT’S REALLY THE
BACK HALF THAT’S COMPLETELY --
THE STONE IS JUST -- THE VERY
LITTLE BIT OF THE STONE YOU CAN
SEE IS BLACK AND IT DOES LOOK
LIKE IT’S THE ENTIRE -- IT’S THE
ENTIRE ROOF TRYING TO MAKE ITS
WAY TOWARDS THE FRONT.
>> CAN YOU SEE THE TOWERS AT
THIS POINT
THIS POINT FROM THE ANGLE I HAVE, WHEN WE
STARTED THIS CONVERSATION, YOU
COULD SEE THE TOWER ON THE LEFT
AND THE RIGHT ONE WAS SORT OF
ENGULFED IN SPOKE --
>> NO, NO.
THE TWO FRONT TOWERS WHICH ARE
THE SQUARE TOWERS, THOSE FACE
THE COURTYARD.
THE COURTYARD. THOSE ARE NOT IN FLAMES.
THE FIRE IS ALL BEHIND THEM,
THOUGH
THOUGH NOT TO MINIMIZE THIS
THE FIRE IS THE ENTIRE BACK OF
THE BUILDING, AT LEAST FROM --
YEAH, FROM THE COURTYARD
>> AND THE TALLEST FIRE IS THE
AREA THAT -- AND THAT’S THE AREA
THAT HAS CURRENTLY SCAFFOLDING
AROUND IT AS THEY’RE DOING
REPAIRS?
REPAIRS? >> YES
>> YES CORRECT.
CORRECT. THE SCAFFOLDING WENT ABOUT 80%
OF THE WAY UP THE SPIRE AND
THAT’S -- THAT’S PRETTY MUCH
WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE IT STARTED
AND IT’S JUST -- WE’RE JUST