Donald Trump's Notre-Dame advice 'risible', says fire chief

As tre-Dame in Paris burned, US President Donald Trump tweeted some vice to French firefighters.

"Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!" But doing that would have brought ancient cadral crashing down, French fire chiefs told on Tuesday, April 16.

 RE: tre Dame Hailed As Monument To ‘best Of Civilization’

"Everything would have collapsed," said Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Bernier, a fire chief who speaks for national civil defence organisation and who described suggestion as "risible".

Releasing even one lo from a Canair water bomber used to fight forest fires on tre-Dame would be " equivalent of dropping three tonnes of concrete at 250 kilometres per hour " on ancient monument.

"It would have been like bowling with cadral... two towers might have fallen.

"It was technically impossible, undoable and most of all would have been utterly useless" to douse flames from air, Bernier ded.

In fact, dropping a 6,300-litre lo from a Canair water bomber would have put lives of firefighters and anyone in area at risk, he ded.

"Neighbouring buildings would have been hit by flying blocks of hot stone, and whole area would have h to be evacuated." 

With more than 500 firefighters alrey at scene -- many within building -- that would have been impossible. Even using a helicopter to drop 1,500 litres of water would have left only towers standing, Bernier insisted.

" nave would have collapsed, flying buttresses would have gone," he said.

"If a plane h been used whole of structure might have tumbled." Lieutenant-Colonel Gabriel Plus of Paris fire brige said that "everything was against" first firefighters who h to battle French capital's evening rush-hour to get to scene on Monday.

"Time and wind was against us and we h to get on top of it fast. We h to make a rapid choice... and priority we gave ourselves was to save two bell towers, and both were saved," he ded.

RE: 'Hunchback Of tre-Dame' Tops Bestseller Lists After Fire

"Imagine if woodwork in belfries h been weakened, huge bells would have collapsed" and that might have brought towers down. "That was really our fear," said senior officer, who acts as fire brige spokesman.

"From beginning, re was always possibility that whole structure might collapse." While armchair critics have suggested more could have been done to slow fire, tough choices h to be me, said Plus.

"With a part of roof alrey in flames it was longer saveable," he said. "So we put our efforts into protecting two belfries and getting our people into interior to save works of art inside.

"Once we saw that spire would fall we got our people out and concentrated our efforts on exterior," he ded.

Experts credited this with helping save cadral's organ and its spectacular rose windows from worst of flames. fire chief said next few days will be spent making sure fire has been well and truly extinguished and that " structure is stabilised".