Update, Tuesday 8am: The fire which ravaged the Notre-Dame Cathedral’s roof since Monday evening has been brought under control. Firefighters have saved the stone walls, structure of the building, and internal artwork, but were unable to save much of the roof and iconic 90 metre-tall spire.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, but officials suspect that it was caused by maintenance work on the structure.
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One firefighter has been seriously injured.
French president Emmanuel Macron has pledged that the country will rebuild the cathedral, with donations from the likes of Francois-Henri Pinault — the billionaire owner of Gucci and YSL — pledging €100-million towards the effort.
#NotreDame this morning. Firefighters are still spraying water near the scaffolding. pic.twitter.com/Ku4Sn3PcML
— Elian Peltier (@ElianPeltier) April 16, 2019
Original article: Paris’ historic Notre-Dame Cathedral is on fire.
The blaze, which broke out around 7pm SAST on Monday evening, has engulfed much of the building’s roof. A slew of Periscope live streams on Twitter are currently broadcasting the development of the fire.
#NotreDame is also trending worldwide at the time of writing.
— JB Chastand (@jbchastand) April 15, 2019
#NotreDame Paris incendie https://t.co/3i36tym1nk
— Mathieu Bertolo (@MathieuBertolo) April 15, 2019
Paris’ mayor Anne Hidalgo has asked everyone to “respect the security perimeter”.
Un terrible incendie est en cours à la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. Les @PompiersParis sont en train de tenter de maîtriser les flammes. Nous sommes mobilisés sur place en lien étroit avec le @dioceseParis. J’invite chacune et chacun à respecter le périmètre de sécurité. pic.twitter.com/9X0tGtlgba
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) April 15, 2019
French president Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “Our Lady of Paris in flames. Emotion of a whole nation. Thought for all Catholics and for all French. Like all our countrymen, I’m sad tonight to see this part of us burn.”
Notre-Dame de Paris en proie aux flammes. Émotion de toute une nation. Pensée pour tous les catholiques et pour tous les Français. Comme tous nos compatriotes, je suis triste ce soir de voir brûler cette part de nous.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 15, 2019
Part of the building’s main spire has collapsed due to fire damage.
The moment #NotreDame’s spire fell pic.twitter.com/XUcr6Iob0b
— Patrick Galey (@patrickgaley) April 15, 2019
Parisians have also joined in hymns outside of Notre-Dame Cathedral, as firefighters continue to battle the blaze.
Quite possibly the most powerful footage I’ve seen tonight as Parisians Join together, panning around to #NotreDame
pic.twitter.com/y2sUpelO3E — PC Rob Stevens (@PCStevens1368) April 15, 2019
It’s not yet clear what caused the fire.
Initially completed in 1345, the cathedral spires 90 metres into the Paris skyline. The building is also the setting for the 1833 Victor Hugo novel, Notre-Dame de Paris, or The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
This is a developing story…
