The Palace of Versailles in Paris was temporarily evacuated on Tuesday afternoon after smoke was seen coming from the roof during renovation work near the Marble Court. The palace press office confirmed that there was no fire, but smoke was coming from a hot zone in the wood of the roofing. Local firefighters quickly extinguished the smoke, and there were no injuries or damage to the building or its heritage collections. The incident caused a brief disruption for the 8 million annual visitors to the Palace, but they were allowed back in within an hour.
The evacuation was carried out in accordance with safety protocols, with the smoke being noticed at around 3:15 p.m. This incident brought back memories of the devastating fire at Notre Dame cathedral in 2019, which led to the collapse of the spire. The restoration of Notre Dame is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the smoke at the Palace of Versailles. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of fire safety measures in historic buildings and the need for constant vigilance during renovation work.
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