Man in custody after Nantes cathedral fire

A 39-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested in connection with a fire in the 15th century cathedral in the French city of Nantes that blew out stained glass windows and destroyed the grand organ, TV channel LCI reported today.

The man, a Rwandan refugee, worked as a volunteer for the cathedral and had been in charge of locking up the building on Friday night, LCI said, citing prosecutor Pierre Sennes.

Sennes said the man in custody was being held to clear up inconsistencies in his schedule.

He said yesterday that three fires had been started at the site and that there had been no signs of a break-in.

Authorities said an investigation for suspected arson had been opened.

The blaze began yesterday, engulfing the inside of the Gothic structure in flames.

Firefighters brought it under control after several hours and extinguished it completely by the afternoon.

It happened just over a year after a fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris that destroyed its roof and main spire. – July 19, 2020, Reuters

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