Man in Custody After Nantes Cathedral Fire: French TV

French firefighters gather at the scene of a blaze at the Cathedral of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul in Nantes, France, on July 18, 2020. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

PARIS—A 39-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a fire in the 15th century cathedral in the French city of Nantes that blew out stained glass windows and destroyed the grand organ, TV channel LCI reported on Sunday.

The man, a Rwandan refugee, worked as a volunteer for the cathedral and had been in charge of locking up the building on Friday night, LCI said, citing prosecutor Pierre Sennes.

A view of debris caused by a fire inside the Cathedral of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul in Nantes, France, July 18, 2020. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

Sennes said the man in custody was being held to clear up inconsistencies in his schedule.

He said on Saturday that three fires had been started at the site and that there had been no signs of a break-in. Authorities said an investigation for suspected arson had been opened.

The blaze began on Saturday morning, engulfing the inside of the Gothic structure in flames. Firefighters brought it under control after several hours and extinguished it completely by the afternoon.

It happened just over a year after a fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris which destroyed its roof and main spire.

By Paris Newsroom