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By Jordan King
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What's New
Multiple people had to be evacuated from the Eiffel Tower after the fire alarm was triggered at the iconic landmark.
Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE) said in a statement to Newsweek that a short circuit on the power rail of an elevator between the second floor and the summit triggered the monument's fire alarm system but there was no danger.
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This statement was issued after French media reported that flames had broken out.
What To Know
The SETE said visitors were evacuated "in accordance with current safety procedures," but eventually determined that there was no danger.
It said: "After confirming there was no danger, firefighters left the scene. No visitors were put at risk.
"In collaboration with the firefighters, SETE, along with its electrical maintenance providers and elevator technicians, is conducting investigations to identify the cause of the incident."
The tower, which was closed temporarily, has now been reopened up to the second floor.
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Why It Matters
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous structures in the world, welcoming, on average, between 15,000 and 25,000 visitors a day, according to statistics database RoadGenius.
In January this year, photos and videos on social media claimed to show the Eiffel Tower on fire, but these were fake.
A fire did break out at the landmark in January 1956, in the tower's television transmission room, causing significant damage.
What Are People Saying
A journalist for Boulevard Voltaire, Julien Tellier, wrote: "Around 1200 people were evacuated. The firefighters have reportedly identified the origin of the flames as overheating of a cable.
"The fire has been brought under control and is now out. The fire is believed to have been caused by an overheating device near a cable of one of the elevators."
Multiple people have posted about the fire and evacuation on X, with some saying they were at the landmark when the incident took place.
Notre Dame
It comes five years after the historic medieval Notre Dame cathedral caught fire on April 15, 2019.
The blaze burned for nearly 15 hours, collapsing the cathedral's 18th-century spire and destroying the roof, constructed largely of lead-covered timber, while sections of the vaulted ceiling were severely damaged as burning debris fell.
After the devastating fire, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild the cathedral.
"We will rebuild the cathedral even more beautifully and I want it to be finished within five years," Macron said in a statement from the Elysee Palace at the time. "And we can do it."
The Notre Dame Cathedral reopened in December this year with Donald Trump in attendance together with world leaders, royals, and business tycoons.
Update 12/24/24, 09:56 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include new information from the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel.
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