The Eiffel Tower had to close and tourists were evacuated after an incident at the famous Paris attraction
The Eiffel Tower was evacuated on Christmas Eve after the fire alarm went off due to a technical problem in an elevator.
About 1,000 people left the historic French monument on Tuesday morning so French emergency services could check the problem.
“It turned out to be a short circuit in the power rail of an elevator,” said a spokesperson for SETE, the tower’s management company.
‘The technical problem occurred between the second floor and the top of the monument, causing the fire alarm to sound at 10.50am.
“In accordance with current safety procedures, we have evacuated the monument,” the spokesperson added.
Visitors queued at the foot of the Eiffel Tower when the site was closed and then reopened after a fire was reported in Paris on December 24
This photo shows firefighters in their vehicle stationed at the base of the Eiffel Tower, where a fire was reported in Paris on December 24
Firefighters pose for a photo with a Santa Claus at the Eiffel Tower as the site was closed and then reopened after a fire was reported in Paris on December 24
He added that there was no fire and that “no visitors were endangered.”
Investigations followed to ‘identify the cause of this incident’ and the tower would be ‘reopened gradually over the course of the day’.
The 330 meter high Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world and is visited by around 6 million people every year.
Since the devastating fire at nearby Notre Dame in 2019, fire protection has been increased at all Parisian monuments.