World Why Notre Dame didn’t completely crumble in the blaze. And why it could take decades to repair. April 16, 2019April 17, 2019 Ryan W. Miller and Doyle Rice and Kristin Lam, USA TODAY Comments Off on Why Notre Dame didn’t completely crumble in the blaze. And why it could take decades to repair. Rebuilding Notre Dame will take time – maybe decades. But thank the medieval builders whose work helped save the structure.