(UPDATE: 4:20 p.m.) - "We will rebuild it. All together. This is part of our French destiny."
Those were the words of President Emmanuel Macron on Monday night after a day that will go down in history for all the wrong reasons.
Cette cathédrale Notre-Dame, nous la rebâtirons. Tous ensemble. C’est une part de notre destin français. Je m’y engage : dès demain une souscription nationale sera lancée, et bien au-delà de nos frontières.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 15, 2019
Fire broke out at the 800-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral just before 7 p.m. local time and it was the beginning of a long battle for dozens of firefighters.
At times it was believed that the catastrophic fire would pick away at the famed cathedral throughout the night, but crews gained the upperhand on the blaze throughout the evening and it's now mostly out.
Firefighters will stay on hand overnight to help the building cool down and ensure that no hot spots flare up.
Although the fire destroyed the church's spire and caused extensive damage to other parts of the building, but Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the church's structure was saved.
As the fire burned, thousands gathered across the river from Notre Dame to pray and sing hymns as the iconic landmark
(Original story: 10:55 a.m.) - A piece of history is burning down in Paris.
A massive fire has broken out at the Notre-Dame Cathedral, a more than 800-year-old Catholic cathedral in France’s capital city.
Heartbreaking photos of the astounding piece of French gothic architecture going up in flames have surfaced around social media.
Plenty of onlookers are watching on as firefighters try to control the massive blaze, which looks to be causing extensive damage.
The moment #NotreDame’s spire fell pic.twitter.com/XUcr6Iob0b
— Patrick Galey (@patrickgaley) April 15, 2019
The historic building is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe.
Around 12-million people visit Notre-Dame annually, making is the most visited monument in Paris.
Notre Dame de Paris is burning down. I'm terribly sad to see one of France most magnifying heritage, literally going into flames and ashes pic.twitter.com/4VzkkPvxZo
— Ella βΜ½βΜ½ Tattoed on my heart (@sweetlouiex) April 15, 2019
A cause of the fire hasn’t been revealed, but it could be associated to ongoing renovation work on the church.
NowMedia will update this story as more information becomes available.
