more at
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/trump-notre-dame-firefighting-advice
Deploying water drops from the air "could lead to the collapse of the entire
structure of the cathedral," officials said.
President Donald Trump's suggestion on Monday that tanker jets be used to drop
water on the historic Notre Dame Cathedral as it burned prompted French
officials to swat down the idea as being potentially even more destructive.
As the fast-moving fire gutted one of Paris's most historic landmarks on live
television, Trump tweeted from Burnsville, Minnesota, saying, "Perhaps flying
water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!"
As media outlets in France started featuring the tweet in their broadcasts,
French officials took the unusual step of rebuffing the point in English on
Twitter, pointing out that the force of water dropped from an aircraft could end
up being the cause of the cathedral's destruction.
"All means are being used, except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used,
could lead to the collapse of the entire structure of the cathedral," the French
Interior Ministry's Civil Security and Crisis Management agency tweeted.
In fact, the account tweeted four times to address the idea of fighting the
flames from the air, which they said could cause more damage than the flames.
"All means are committed with the exception of the technically unsuitable
Canadair aircraft for extinguishing this type of fire," the agency first tweeted
in French.
"The airdrop on this type of building could lead to the collapse of the entire
structure," the agency followed up in a second tweet.
In a third tweet, the agency explained why the airdrops could be
counterproductive to its efforts to save the cathedral.
"Helicopter or airplane, the weight of the water and the intensity of the drop
at low altitude could indeed weaken the structure of Notre-Dame and cause
collateral damage to the surrounding buildings," the agency stated.
Hundreds of firemen of the Paris Fire Brigade are doing everything they can to
bring the terrible #NotreDame fire under control. All means are being used,
except for water-bombing aircrafts which, if used, could lead to the collapse of
the entire structure of the cathedral.
58.3K
12:38 PM - Apr 15, 2019
In a fourth tweet, the agency again explained its reasoning, but this time in
English.
The fire posed a unique challenge for firefighters as they tried to save the
13th-century structure. Not only is the building made of stone, but officials
said the entire wooden interior of the cathedral would likely be destroyed. The
cathedral is also home to several pieces of art and historic items that
officials were trying to save from the flames.
After the fire broke out around 7 p.m., the cathedral's ceiling and 90-meter
(295-feet) spire eventually came crashing down. But as it approached midnight,
officials said they had managed to stop the spread of the fire.
Police said there were no deaths and it was unclear if there were any injuries.
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