On: Notre-Dame came closer to collapsing than people k...

[vnchr]

Have they figured out how the fire started?

[mr_crankypants → vnchr]

According to TFA, no, but they are nearly certain it was accidental. Top candidates include faulty electrical wiring and cigarette butts.

[lutorm → mr_crankypants]

Given the prevalence of construction-initiated fires and the risk of fire in that space, I'm really surprised they even allowed smoking there.

[mr_crankypants → lutorm]

They didn't; it was strictly forbidden. But, also according to TFA, they nonetheless found cigarette butts on the scaffolding.

[canthonytucci → lutorm]

Sometimes people break rules.

[noir_lord → canthonytucci]

Almost invariably they break rules, that’s why sane systems have redundancies and contingencies for “what do we do when meatsack A fails to follow the rules?”.

Sometimes the answer is nothing (the result of the rule break may be minor) other times not.