Nearly 200,000 Bees Reportedly Survived Notre Dame Blaze

In the wake of a devastating fire that nearly destroyed Notre Dame Monday — a miracle.

The buzz is that hundreds of thousands of bees that were living on the roof of the famed church have reportedly been found alive.

They were initially thought to have perished in the fire.

The church’s beekeeper, Nicolas Geant, confirmed the discovery in an interview with CNN. He has been looking after the 180,000 bees since 2013. They were kept at Notre Dame in an effort to increase the number of bees in Paris.

Geant believes their location played a key role in keeping the bees alive. The hives were on the roof above the sacristy, which was about 30 meters below the main roof. So the flames did not reach the hives.

According to the BBC, European bees stick by their hive when they sense danger. And Geant said the smoke would’ve acted as a sedative. "Instead of killing them, the carbon dioxide makes them drunk, puts them to sleep," he stated.

Authorities have now figured out where the fire started that destroyed much of the beloved cathedral. Police sources told CNN they believe it began in the middle of the roof, next to the spire.

Investigators are still working to determine what, exactly, caused the blaze.

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