EUROPEAN HEAT WAVE HAS DAMAGED PARIS CATHEDRAL

Several stones fell from the vaulted ceiling of fire-ravaged Notre Dame after last month’s European heat wave, a French official said Wednesday, urging renewed stabilization efforts to prevent further damage to the iconic Paris cathedral.

The Culture Ministry official said the stones crumbled after temperatures reached a record 108.7 Fahrenheit (42.6 Celsius () in Paris in late July. The official said heat quickly dried out the mortar that was holding the ceiling stones in place.

The damage is “not serious” but the 12th-century cathedral remains at risk of further damage — and possible collapse, the official told The Associated Press.

The vaulted ceiling is particularly fragile, after the April fire destroyed the massive lead-and-wood roof that kept the cathedral’s overall structure stable. The ceiling vaults are also among the many features that make Notre Dame a treasure of world heritage and testament to medieval ingenuity.