Eiffel Tower evacuated on Christmas Eve following fire alarm prompted by elevator issue
The Eiffel Tower evacuated tourists after the fire alarm went off Tuesday morning, the tower's operating company said.
At approximately 10:50 a.m. local time, the fire alarm went off following a short circuit on the power rail of an elevator between the second floor and the top, operating and management company SETE said in a statement emailed to Paste BN.
Following protocol, the tower was evacuated and firefighters arrived on scene, SETE said. No one was put in danger and the elevator maintenance providers will carry out an investigation into the cause of the incident.
The tower has been reopened up to the second floor as of the afternoon.
Eiffel Tower evacuation follows Notre Dame reopening
The incident comes weeks after another iconic Paris landmark, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, reopened to the public after being closed for repairs following a 2019 fire.
The Eiffel Tower was the backdrop of the 2024 Paris Olympics and gained five new rings that the mayor hopes to keep on the monument indefinitely, according to NBC News, though the move sparked controversy.
The tower sells tickets for visitors who can go to three different levels: the first floor, the second floor, and the top of the tower.
The technical problem tripping the fire alarms on Christmas Eve occurred between the second floor and the top of the tower, where the columns converge into one tower.
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at Paste BN. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com, and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.