Paris fire sends alarm on relics protection

An inferno that destroyed the spire and a large portion of the wooden roof structure of the 12th-century Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday reinforced a cautionary message to Chinese authorities about the need to better protect vulnerable heritage sites.

The National Cultural Heritage Administration held a staff meeting on Tuesday night at which officials discussed the Paris fire and six major fires that have taken place at Chinese cultural heritage sites this year.

"The fire at Notre Dame in Paris rang the warning bell for us," Song Xinchao, deputy director of the administration, said in an interview on Tuesday.