Notre Dame burning discussion: It's the cathedral, not the university on fire

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Notre Dame burning discussion: It's the cathedral, not the university on fire

Patrick Varine | Monday, April 15, 2019 3:11 p.m.

A man watches the landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral burn, engulfed in flames, in central Paris on April 15, 2019. - A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky. The flames and smoke plumed from the spire and roof of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of people a year. A spokesman for the cathedral told AFP that the wooden structure supporting the roof was being gutted by the blaze. (Photo by Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP)GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP/Getty Images

The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is on fire. Not the University of Notre Dame.

As is the case nowadays with much of social media, the rush to be quickest or to tweet first has led to a bit of confusion in the Twitterverse.

Here is an actual video of the actual fire.

#BREAKING: Part of the spire at Notre Dame Cathedral in #Paris has collapsed amid a raging fire. #notredamedeparis pic.twitter.com/PJkPrcyE8S

— Alhagie Jobe (@freejobe39) April 15, 2019

Surprisingly, this is not the first time the cathedral has burned. It was shelled during World War II and subsequently rebuilt.

Just a reminder if you're not familiar with the history of Notre Dame, but this isn't the first time it's burned. It was shelled during WWI and was restored to its current state before the fire.

France will do the same again, I'm positive. pic.twitter.com/o1w84PdbxH

— ? Mao (@Maolfunction) April 15, 2019

A Notre Dame Cathedral spokesperson told Bloomberg News that “Everything is burning. Nothing will remain.”

However, the cavalcade of misunderstanding (and of course, retweeting) was just getting started.

You know you've been fully Americanized when you hear Notre Dame is on fire and you think people are talking about the university rather than the cathedral

— Edmund Cuthbert (@Edmund_Works) April 15, 2019

Here we go.

I got the Twitter handle wrong, apologies. It’s the Notre-Dame Cathedral on fire. Not the University. https://t.co/PDYNpB0x3W

— A. Ali (@AAli0781) April 15, 2019

Twitter user @propertwelve took the opportunity to chastise self-obsessed Americans.

the amount of stupid americans that are sad because they think Notre Dame the UNIVERSITY is on fire.....please please think of something besides yourselves for a moment

— dziwka (@propertweIve) April 15, 2019

Cue the onslaught of people who apparently trust Twitter to bring them legitimate, fact-checked news…

just so everyone knows I've been very confused for about twenty minutes over why exactly everyone is so sad about the church at notre dame university was on fire

— Handsome Vermont Boy (@vermont_boy) April 15, 2019

Some folks inexplicably would’ve been excited if it was the university rather than the church, which is kind of weird and unsettling.

Hearing Notre Dame is on fire vs. Realizing it’s the cathedral and not the university pic.twitter.com/5yJ7cU30kD

— Screamer Jim (@HeheWaitWhut) April 15, 2019

Unverified tweeting was running so rampant that the university was compelled to issue a clarification tweet of its own.

A clarification: A fire is currently burning at @notredameparis, not the University of Notre Dame. Our prayers are with all those involved.

— Notre Dame (@NotreDame) April 15, 2019

There were, however, plenty of people tweeting their sympathies.

So sad to watch the Notre Dame Cathedral on fire. #NotreDameFire pic.twitter.com/FfzvS4kJtT

— EagleNostalgic13 (@ENostalgic13) April 15, 2019

And finally, there’s this bizarre tweet somehow linking the two together.

weird how notre dame university rejected my bf and i’s phd applications a couple days ago and now the notre dame cathedral is on fire ?

— the horse auditor ? (@rossfoghorn) April 15, 2019

In summary, Twitter: not the greatest place to get reliable news.

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