EM – A fire occurred in one of the elevators of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Tuesday, December 24, prompting the evacuation of around 1,200 visitors.
According to Express UK source, the Eiffel Tower was evacuated this morning after a fire alarm was sounded at the iconic landmark.
It was reported that a blaze had broken out in the lift shaft between the first and second floor of the iconic tower in Paris, France. Around 1,200 visitors were rushed out of the building shortly after 10.30am.
A police source said just after midday local time that a blaze had been extinguished.
The cause of a fire was thought to have been an overheating device near a cable.
But a spokesman for SETE, the Eiffel Tower’s management company, has since said that a fire alarm was triggered by a short circuit in an elevator power rail.
He added: “The technical problem occurred between the second floor and the top of the monument, causing the fire alarm to be triggered at 10.50am.
“In accordance with current safety procedures, we evacuated the monument.”
The spokesman also said that there was no fire, and no visitors were put in danger.
The Eiffel Tower was designed and built by Gustave Eiffel’s company between 1887 and 1889 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, and to serve as the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris.
The structure stands 330 meters tall, resting on a square base with sides measuring 125 meters. The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second floors. The third level, located at a height of 276 meters, houses an apartment once used by Gustave Eiffel.
The Eiffel Tower, nicknamed “the Iron Lady,” is a global cultural icon of France. The tower welcomes an average of 15,000-25,000 visitors per day, according to statistics from RoadGenius.
