Spire of8k8 17 French landmark Rouen cathedral on fire

PARIS -- A fire broke out Thursday on the spire of Notre-Dame de Rouen Cathedral in the capital city of France's Normandy region, according to local authorities.

The city's mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol posted a photo of the spire in smoke on X Thursday noon. "All public resources are mobilized," the Metropole Rouen Normandie said on its official X account.

According to initial information, the fire was caused by "bad handling" on the restoration site of the metal spire, local media reported.

"The site is complex because of this height with very important scaffolding structures," French news channel BFMTV reported, citing Richard Duplat, chief architect of Historic Monuments.

He told BFMTV that the workers were scraping the metal parts of the spire to repaint them.

In 2019, a fire broke out on the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral while restoration works were carried out.