Reims Cathedral now has a framework of reinforced concrete beams. From the very start, however, the building has been marked by fire. It was a fire, 24 hours long, that completely destroyed the old Carolingian cathedral in May 1210. Reconstruction would only commence a year later. Another fire broke out in the building in July 1481, when workmen forgot a stove in which lead was heated. The roof, the central bell tower and the galleries above the transept were burnt to the ground. The last fire was caused by German shelling in September 1914, once again causing lead to flow through the streets of Reims.