Notre Dame fire: Cathedral blaze 'being treated as an accident' as firefighters continue to fight flames – as it happened
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Your support makes all the difference.The Notre-Dame in Paris has been devastated after a fire ripped through its roof and burnt large parts of the cathedral.
The medieval roof of the cathedral was almost entirely destroyed but photographs from inside show that much of the structure remained intact, after an hours-long firefighting mission.
One firefighter was reported to have been seriously injured in the blaze. The sacred objects and artwork stored in the cathedral were secured.
Emmanuel Macron has committed to rebuild the cathedral, and has promised an international fundraising effort to restore it to its previous state.
While the cause of the fire is still unclear, authorities said they were believed it to have been started by accident.
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Firefighters continue to battle the blaze, but it is still spreading.
Paris Match journalist Nicolas Delesalle, quoting a priest the cathedral, says that all of the artworks stored there have been saved. The treasures of the cathedral, including the crown of thorns, are intact, he claims.
British church Westminster Abbey is just one of the many houses of worship extending their sympathy to Notre Dame.
From the Associated Press:
French President Emmanuel Macron is treating the fire gutting Notre Dame Cathedral as a national emergency.
Macron reached the landmark cathedral on Monday evening and went straight into meetings at the nearby Paris police headquarters.
France's civil security agency says "all means" except for water-dropping aircraft were deployed to tackle the blaze.
The defense agency said those were unsuitable for fires like the one at Notre Dame because dumping water on the building could cause the whole structure to collapse.
Here's a timeline from Reuters, if you are catching up:
- Around 6:50pm local time (1650 GMT): Fire starts in roof of Notre-Dame cathedral, according to firefighters.
- Around 7:07 pm: Smoke and flames at Notre-Dame from a distance.
- 7:40 pm: Fire spreads to the giant spire of Notre-Dame cathedral. French President Macron cancels planned TV address to the nation because of the blaze.
- 7:53 pm: Cathedral's spire collapses.
- 7:59 pm: French president's office says Macron is rushing to the scene.
- 8:07 pm: Entire roof of Notre-Dame collapses, according to a Reuters correspondent at the scene.
- 8:25 pm: Paris's Île de la Cité, the island on which Notre-Dame sits, is evacuated by police
A spokesperson for Paris's fire department says that the next hour and a half will be crucial to see if the fire can be contained, says Reuters.
French prime minister Edouard Philippe says firefighters are still working to preserve what they can.
"Our sadness is beyond words but we are still fighting," he writes. "Tonight firefighters battle, like heroes, against the fire, to preserve what can be."
The archbishop of Paris has tweeted, addressing priests. He says that the frame, the tower and the spire are lost – but that firefighters are working to save the towers.
"To the priests of Paris," he writes. "The firefighters are still fighting to save the towers of Notre-Dame de Paris. The frame, the roof and the spire are destroyed.
"Pray. If you wish, you could ring the bells of your churches, inviting prayer."
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