Paris Prosecutor: No Sign Notre Dame Fire of Criminal Origin

Paris Prosecutor: No Sign Notre Dame Fire of Criminal Origin
Smoke and flames rise during a fire at the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019. Hubert Hitier/AFP/Getty Images
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PARIS—A preliminary investigation found no evidence to suggest that a fire that gutted large parts of Notre Dame Cathedral was criminal, the prosecutor’s office said June 26.

The prosecutor’s office said in a statement that several hypotheses about the cause of the April 15 blaze include a malfunctioning electrical system or a smoldering cigarette—to be further investigated in a new probe.