In a shocking incident, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated on Tuesday morning after a fire broke out in one of its elevator shafts between the first and second floors. As many as 1,200 tourists were evacuated after reports of the fire. The blaze was caused by an overheating cable in the lift shaft.
Following the incident, firefighters struggled to douse the flames, but the fire was extinguished by midday. According to media reports, the iconic landmark had its access restricted amid the rescue operation. The Eiffel Tower attracts around 25,000 visitors daily.
The evacuation took place just hours after a separate fire broke out at a building near the St Lazare train station. It was caused by an accident at a construction site. This latest fire incident serves as a reminder of the 1956 blaze in the Eiffel Tower’s TV control room, which caused severe damage and required a year for repairs.
It also follows the catastrophic 2019 fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. On December 8, the archbishop of Paris symbolically reopened the restored 12th-century landmark by knocking on its doors and stepping inside.
Speaking about the incident, the company that manages the monument said in a statement that a fire alarm was set off by a short circuit in the elevator system between the second floor and the top of the tower, news agency Reuters reported.
No visitors were harmed due to the incident, and the tower will reopen progressively later, but with access no higher than the second floor, the statement said. An investigation into the cause of the short circuit is ongoing, it said. The Paris police declined to comment on the fire incident.
(With Reuters inputs)
