Possible arson investigated at famed French cathedral, but blaze contained

St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral in Nantes, France.
(Image credit: SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS/AFP via Getty Images)

French authorities are launching an investigation into possible arson after the famed St. Peter and St. Paul cathedral in Nantes, France, caught fire Saturday.

Pierre Sennes, the Nantes public prosecutor, said a criminal motive is suspected because the fire had three different starting points throughout the cathedral. "It's not a coincidence," he said. "It's even a signature."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.