‘Computer bug contributed to rapid spread of fire at Notre-Dame’

A computer bug may have played a role in the rapid spread of the fire that destroyed a significant portion of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Final clarity on this will take a while.

AP news agency reports that the cathedral’s top cleric, Patrick Chauvet, said during a meeting with Parisian entrepreneurs that a computer bug may be responsible for the rapidly spreading fire. He gave no further details, but said that “we may find out in two or three months what exactly happened.” It’s not entirely clear whether Chauvet means that the computer bug actually caused the fire or just played a role in its rapid spread.

The Paris newspaper Le Parisien previously indicated that two security workers were the first to see the flames and were alerted to it by an alarm. However, according to the paper, a computer bug caused the location of the fire to be misrepresented. Whether that played a role in a delayed action by firefighters will have to be determined by the investigation, according to Le Parisien.

On Thursday, police investigators indicated that a short circuit is the most likely cause of the fire. This may be due to the temporary lifts that had already been installed and used for the ongoing renovation works.