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Comment by kweks | Hacker News Reader

I was up on the rooftop three weeks ago. What is more incredible is how untouched everything that was not directly touched by the fire is. Inside the church itself, the wood, the chairs, the organs.. incredible condition.

There is massive consolidation work to do, but at least from what I saw, the news is better than you would probably believe.

The guys doing the consolidation are working "real time" on the structure, shoring up what is necessary as soon as they notice. Rapidly shifting priorities and tasks.

There were definitely parts that could easily collapse, bit again, compared to the rest of the structure, they appear to be minimal.

The overriding feeling I had was: Hats off to the firemen for the incredible restraint and foresight that they applied.

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Hey, I remember your comments from the day of the fire. Your photos from the top of the spire are amazing. My father went to the rooftop probably at the same time as you, so he had the same conclusion; the structure is quickly being shored up and the teams know what they're doing.

I don't understand what report the article is reacting to, because Vannucci's study is three years old and I haven't heard anything concerning on that topic lately.

Oh and if you don't mind me asking, were you invited to the rooftop because you were involved in the spire study before? Or did you take part in the operations?

We had contacted the DRAC (governing body for patrimony and culture), but things were on lockdown because someone had leaked photos to the press, which had caused all sorts of chaos.

One of the managers of the consolidation companies is a close friend, so we were able to head up under their jurisdiction.

Again, the south and north towers are spotless inside, as is the nave (apart from the obvious 3 holes in the roof..).

The stained glass, even directly under the collapsed sections were intact (and being meticulously removed)

The wall sections on the shorter arms of the roof section were the most unstable parts, as the roof and beams are obviously gone. The North wall was already reinforced, and they were in the process of doing the same on the south wall.

One of the biggest challenges will be removing the scaffolding, which is melted, twisted and a general mess.

It was also incredible to see cooled lead flows from the mouths of the gargoyles.

Again, the resounding feeling from the visit and the workers was one of hope and relief.

That's so cool. Do you have a photo of the gargoyles? Or anything else?

I was able to take a few under strict "eyes only" conditions. There had been photo leaks a few days prior of someone who had bluffed through the security and sold photos to the press.

The press were going through the same day I was there, there are surely similar / better images that mine online.

Why is there an issue with photos of a public structure being released to the public? Have the rights to professional photos of Notre Dame been sold to a private entity a la the Eiffel Tower?

The rights to the Eiffel Tower have never been sold to a private entity, but the private entity that designed the night lighting kept their rights on it (which is the default, if the city didn't specifically ask for the rights to be transferred in the contract).

I don't think that's a good situation, but it has nothing to do with selling rights to a private entity.

I'm not sure I follow, to my understanding it is not legal to take professional photographs of the Eiffel tower at night, is that wrong?

Yes, because copyright remains with the original lighting designer and was never transferred - to or from - the public.

Good thing they didn't water-bomb it then.

It would have completely destroyed the vaults, and everything inside.

The firemen had planned to let the roof burn - it would have been impossible to stop, and would have pulled resources from the more inport tasks, namely protecting the towers and keeping the inside temperatures below flash point.

The North Tower was particularly important: the bells are mounted on a wooden frame that is independent of the stonework - when they sound, the wooden structure absorbs the movement and weight changes, so the tower structure isn't stressed. If this structure burnt, the bells would have fallen, causing catastrophic damage to the tower and probably the structure itself.

As it stands, there were only three holes punched through the vault - which is incredible considering the weight and heat directly above them.

The firemen came under intense criticism during and immediately after the blaze, but the proof is most definitely in the result.

kweks, your comments are fascinating. Thanks for sharing, and I eagerly await more details about the day itself, and progress so far.

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