A fire breaks out in the famous Gothic cathedral in Rouen, France

A fire broke out in the tower of the medieval cathedral in the northern French city of Rouen on Thursday. However, the fire was under control around 90 minutes later, authorities said.

Witnesses reported on BFM television that they saw smoke rising from the tower and recalled a devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019, in which the tower toppled and the roof collapsed.

The magnificent Gothic cathedral in Rouen, Normandy, is widely known for a series of paintings by the impressionist Claude Monet.

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Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol posted on the social media platform X that “a fire had broken out on the tower of Rouen Cathedral”.

Stephane Gouezec of the Seine-Maritime fire service later said the source of the fire had been located – in a tower that was being renovated – and crews were working to ensure there were no more “hotspots”. But he told reporters the risk of flames spreading was low because the fire had started in an area where there was mostly metal.

Gouezec said construction workers were the first to notice the fire and alerted authorities.

According to regional authorities, the cathedral was evacuated and a security perimeter was set up.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, a landmark of the city, is set to reopen in December after unprecedented reconstruction work. An accident was suspected as the cause of the fire.