On Monday, April 15, in Paris, France a fire sparked in the infamous Norte-Dame Cathedral. The fire quickly spread through the roof but, thankfully, French firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the two bell towers. Firefighters were able to tame the fire, but the damage was still very extensive. Theories regarding how the fire started range from poor circuits, cigarette butts, and even arson, but officials are still not sure and said it could take weeks before they know.
Photo borrowed from BBC News.
Immediately when word spread about the fire, people lined up to donated millions of dollars to help repair the damage. So far, about 850 million euros have been donated from people across the world which roughly converts to 948 million US dollars, according to France24. The money started to flood in shortly after the news spread and it continues to come in but, according to the Notre Dame Paris Office, “the restoration work costs 120 million euros” which is about 133 million dollars ( https://abcnews.go.com/International/fire-breaks-paris-notre-dame-cathedral/story?id=62411000).
The money that has been donated for this historic monument has caused a spark in the public and created a huge controversy on how millions have been donated to the Catholic church but yet there are many other events or people that are in need of these donations. Some people in the public have commented on how the United States has donated a few million but has yet to help with Flint, Michigan or Puerto Rico regarding their situation of not having clean water or still suffering from natural disasters. Others have also commented on how that money could be used to help clean and recover our oceans and rainforests. Actress Pamela Anderson even spoke about how the money could be spent elsewhere. She takes up the billionaires who help contribute to the cause on Twitter.
Even though this event has caused a spark of controversy, this event has surely opened a lot of people’s eyes. They are still determining how much it will really cost to repair this historical piece of art and architecture is still being determined, though some officials are stating they may use the money to redesign the cathedral. No officials have officially reported any of this but keep on the lookout for when they do but it could be weeks or even months from now.