The images of the cathedral of Notre Dame in flames have crossed the world and has aroused awareness about fire detection. A short circuit in the elevators related to the renovation work at the spire is thought to be the cause of the blaze. Renovation work and the absence of fire detection measures have often been the causes of other recent cases of church fires throughout Europe.
In an article at the Future for Religious Heritage site, Marcus van der Meulen states that the fire at Notre-Dame should be a wake up call for both church wardens and polititians. Church wardens should check the situation in their own house of worship, but governments should put in effort to subsidise the costs of installing fire detection and prevention systems.
The Notre Dame cathedral is well documented. A reconstruction can draw upon decades, even centuries of studies and research, but this is not the case for all smaller churches in the continent.
Read the full story at Future for Religious Heritage.