Fire alarm scare forces evacuations from Eiffel Tower
The entire tower was closed temporarily, but access to the first two floors was quickly restored, according to Newsweek.
(NEXSTAR) - A short circuit on the Eiffel Tower forced multiple visitors to evacuate on Christmas Eve.
Initial reports suggested flames had broken out on the structure just after 10:30 a.m. local time, but Newsweek reports that the evacuation was actually caused by a "short circuit on the power rail" of an elevator to the summit. Visitors were not in danger, according to the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel. The tower employs a set of elevators to connect to the first and second viewing decks, and a second set of lifts to access the summit.
The entire tower was closed temporarily, but access to the first two floors was quickly restored, according to Newsweek.
The tower sees an estimated 25,000 visitors per day, and roughly 1,200 were forced to evacuate Tuesday as a result of the scare, The London Mirror reports.
The evacuation came less than a month after one of Paris' other signature landmarks, Notre Dame Cathedral, reopened following a devastating 2019 fire that required roughly $1 billion in repairs.
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