PARIS — A fire ravaged a 19th century Roman Catholic basilica in western France on Monday, starting at the close of morning Mass and leaving a charred shell of the rooftop.
Those inside were quickly evacuated without injury, the Rev. Benoit Bertrand of the Nantes diocese told BFM television.
Hours later, with 90 firefighters and aircraft on the scene, the blaze was brought under control, according to the Nantes Fire Department.
The fire was apparently sparked accidentally by two workers on the roof, according to the local newspaper, Presse Ocean.
The workers, who also escaped unharmed, were believed to have been doing waterproofing work when the fire broke out.
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Officials were working later in the day to save important objects and equipment in the building, including the church organ. The basilica is dedicated to two Catholic martyrs, St. Donatien and St. Rogatien.
Presse Ocean reported that there was a similar fire at another of the city's religious landmarks, Nantes Cathedral, in 1972.
That blaze also started during construction, and the church has been restored.