Heat wave threatened collapse of Notre Dame Cathedral's ceiling

The record-breaking heat wave that swept across Europe last week could have caused the ceiling of Notre Dame Cathedral to collapse, experts warned.

As the heat wave spread across the whole of Europe, Parisian authorities faced a unique problem with regards to Notre Dame, the historic cathedral devastated by a fire in April.

Specialists are working to stabilize the cathedral's structure before reconstruction work begins. Workmen have erected a giant white tarpaulin over the gutted roof, stabilized the cathedral's pinnacles and placed dozens of sensors to detect any movement.

The blaze at the cathedral, built over nearly 200 years starting in the middle of the 12th century and long a symbol of Paris, prompted an outpouring of sadness in France and around the world.

Paris experienced its hottest day on record on Thursday, with the temperature rising to a sweltering 42.6 Celsius at the peak of the heat in the afternoon.

It means July 25, 2019, was recorded as the hottest day ever in the French capital, smashing the previous record of 40.4 C set in 1947, according to Meteo-France, the national meteorological service.

Those involved in the cathedral's restoration expressed concern that its vaulted ceiling "could well collapse", although the cathedral seemed to withstand the most intense heat on Thursday.

The cathedral's stone walls are still saturated with water sprayed by firefighters during the blaze in April. With the record temperatures, Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect for the cathedral's restoration, said the walls could dry too fast and the structure remains fragile.

"I am very worried about the heat wave," "What I fear is that the joints or the masonry, as they dry, lose their coherence, their cohesion and their structural qualities and that all of sudden, the vault gives way."

French members of Parliament recently approved a law concerning the reconstruction of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, three months after it was partly destroyed by a devastating fire.

But the approval of the reconstruction bill in the National Assembly is just the start of a complicated, and contentious, process of restoring the cathedral.

"The hardest thing is now ahead of us. We need to strengthen the cathedral forever and then restore it," French Culture Minister Franck Riester was quoted saying in Agence France Presse.

French President Emmanuel Macron has previously said the reconstruction should be completed within five years, but some say that time frame is unrealistically soon.

Macron's suggestion that the church's toppled spire could be replaced by a steeple with a contemporary spin also touched off an uproar. According to Riester, the goal is "to give Notre-Dame a restoration appropriate for the place it has in the hearts of the French people and in the entire world".

The approved bill will provide oversight for the $954 million in total donations pledged from individual, corporate, and private donors.

There were delays to the passage of the bill, with objections from some members of Parliament who argued that the reconstruction was being rushed to ensure that it is completed in time for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. "Imposing a deadline of five years from on high makes no sense," said Brigitte Kuster of the opposition Republicans.

But Riester insisted: "We are not confusing speed with hurry." The structure of the cathedral was "not entirely saved" and there is still a risk of collapse in some areas, he said.