By: Virginia Fuss

On Monday, the beautiful cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France was engulfed in flames. After hours of fighting the blaze, the fire finally calmed, but the symbolic spire that topped the 850-year-old building had already fallen. Thankfully, the main frame was still intact, but many of the eclectic handcrafted details had been burned to a crisp.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, and people across the world are questioning why anyone would want to commit arson to burn this incredible structure. But authorities say that the fire was most likely an accident.

The true issues remain in how the fire will leave lasting effects on the society. Those who were renovating the cathedral before the fire are being painted as irresponsible and are being questioned about their whereabouts during the fire.

“They are artisans, it is a very small enterprise,” says Mark Eskenazi, a PR representative for Le Bras Freres, which is the parent company for the renovation workers. The daunting question of if they will be hired again exists, and even if they had nothing to do with the fire, hostilities are still held towards the renovation team.

Along with these workers, France as a whole is very disheartened. One of their main attractions is now burned and out of commission, and President Macron aims to completely rebuild it within five years—but that is five years with closed doors.