French officials have said several stones fell from the vaulted ceiling of the fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral after last month’s heatwave.
The French ministry of culture urged renewed stabilisation efforts to prevent further damage after revealing the stones fell following temperatures of a record 42.6C in Paris in late July.
It said the heat quickly dried out the mortar holding ceiling stones in place and apparently played a role.
The damage is “not serious” but the 12th-century cathedral remains at risk of possible collapse, the official said.
The vaulted ceiling is particularly fragile after the April fire destroyed the massive lead and wood roof that kept the overall structure stable.
The ceiling vaults are also among the many features that make Notre Dame a treasure of world heritage and testament to medieval ingenuity.
The chief architect of France’s historic monuments warned last month about the danger from exceptional heat to the water-logged masonry.
After three months of painstaking work to clear out hazardous debris and shore up the building, regional authorities suspended all activity inside the cathedral last month over concerns about lead contamination.
Currently only a few select security officials and experts are allowed on the site, notably to monitor activity such as the falling stones, the ministry said.
The official urged work to be resumed as soon as possible to secure and clean-up the cathedral to prepare it for a costly, lengthy reconstruction.
But the risk of lead poisoning also remains.
Activists and residents accuse authorities of underestimating the danger after hundreds of tons of lead melted in the fire, spewing toxic dust into the Paris air.
Authorities have launched three main lead prevention operations: cleaning up local schools, de-toxifying surrounding streets, and setting up a stricter new decontamination zone for experts working inside the cathedral.
That zone is expected to be ready next week, and is aimed at ensuring workers inside the cathedral do not track pollution outside the work zone.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here