Notre-Dame’s Safety Planners Underestimated the Risk, With Devastating Results

I've often heard people say that old (especially old-growth) timber burns slower because it's more dense. Unfortunately, it's often very, very dry... and still wood. Fire can also do some bizarre things that you wouldn't normally expect.

I never knew that Oak is fire retardant.

With that wood as old as it was, it was like tinder.