'We made it inside and then had to leave' - tourists evacuate from Eiffel Tower after fire alarm

Record ID: 1892664

  • Title: 'We made it inside and then had to leave' - tourists evacuate from Eiffel Tower after fire alarm
  • Date: 24th December 2024
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 24, 2024) (REUTERS) VISITORS QUEUING / EIFFEL TOWER IN BACKGROUND VARIOUS OF VISITORS QUEUING SIGN ON SCREEN READING (English): "VISITOR INFORMATION. THE EIFFEL TOWER IS TEMPORARY CLOSED WE APOLOGIZE" (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEACHER FROM PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES, KATE REBER, SAYING: "We had tickets for 11, so about... almost two hours, more than two hours, two and a half hours. We went to the market, and we made it inside and then had to leave." SIGN ON SCREEN READING (English): "DUE TO TECHNICAL INCIDENT TOP CLOSED WE APOLOGIZE" TECHNICIAN PUTTING ON HARNESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEACHER FROM PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES, KATE REBER, SAYING: "We heard from someone it was a fire. We saw the fire trucks arrive. We don't know more. (JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION) We only were planning to go up to the second. So we're okay. But we heard that... we did see Santa at the fire. It was a Santa talking to the firemen." VARIOUS OF EIFFEL TOWER (SOUNDBITE) (English) VETERINARY SURGEON, DUGALD LAMONT GEMMILL, SAYING: "I saw on my phone there was a fire reported in the lift shaft and obviously, they evacuated a thousand people and we are waiting to see whether they will open it up again or not. Strangely, though, from our hotel window this morning, we saw a fire. We were sure we saw a fire that way in amongst the apartment blocks this morning. I took a video, got on the phone. And that's... we're just waiting." VARIOUS OF VISITORS QUEUING EIFFEL TOWER
  • Embargoed: 7th January 2025 14:02
  • Keywords: Eiffel Tower France Paris landmark tourism tourists
  • Location: PARIS, FRANCE
  • City: PARIS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Europe
  • Reuters ID: LVA001923324122024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Visitors were evacuated from the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday (December 24), after a fire alarm was set off by a short circuit in the elevator system between the second floor and the top of the tower, the company that manages the monument said in a statement.
    "I saw on my phone there was a fire reported in the lift shaft and obviously they evacuated a thousand people and we are waiting to see whether they will open it up again or not," said Dugald Gemmill, standing in a long line to enter the world-renowned landmark.
    No visitors were harmed and the tower will re-open progressively later today, but with access no higher than the second floor, the statement said.
    An investigation into the cause of the short circuit is ongoing, it said.
    The Paris police declined to comment on the fire incident.
    (Production: Antony Paone, Vitalii Yalahuzian)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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