Fire at Eiffel Tower, about 1,200 tourists evacuated

Euronews reported that about 1,200 tourists were evacuated from the Eiffel Tower in Paris (France) after a fire broke out in one of the elevator shafts between the first and second floors.

The fire broke out at around 10:30 a.m. on December 24, when one of the elevator cables overheated, a source said. The fire has since been extinguished and access to the tower has been restricted while authorities deal with the incident.

Meanwhile, Boulevard Voltaire newspaper quoted a police source as saying the fire was caused by a device near the elevator cable overheating.

Many people posted pictures of the incident at the Eiffel Tower on social media, including some who said they were there when the fire broke out. "We were ordered to evacuate immediately," one witness wrote on social media X.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous structures in the world , attracting an average of 15,000 to 25,000 visitors a day. In January, images and videos were posted on social media claiming that there was a fire at the Eiffel Tower, but these were later determined to be fake news.

A fire broke out at the Eiffel Tower in January 1956 in the tower's television room, causing significant damage, according to Newsweek .

The latest incident comes more than five years after a devastating fire at another famous French landmark, Notre Dame Cathedral. The building was restored and recently reopened after the fire on April 15, 2019.