Notre Dame fire: Cathedral blaze 'being treated as an accident' as firefighters continue to fight flames – as it happened
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
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.
Follow our latest live blog here or recap our previous coverage of the fire below
Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
That video from the interior ministry, shared below, includes this drone image of the fire, which shows the full scale of the horror.
This photo shows just how close firefighters are to the blaze, as they continue to battle against it claiming the tower.
Another of those drone images, which seems to show that about 3/4 of the cathedral is on fire.
Parisians have gathered to say prayers and sing hymns In front of the nearby Saint Julien Les Pauvres church as the massive blaze at Notre Dame Cathedral burns only a few hundred meters away.
Flames and smoke rose in the sky behind the singers. A couple hundred people kneeling in prayer at the center of a larger group, who are standing around the edge and joining in the hymns between the prayers.
Paris archbishop Michel Aupetit is inviting priests across France to ring the bells of their churches in a call for prayers for Notre Dame.
Aupetit is at the cathedral and will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron later Monday night.
An official from the French Interior Ministry says 400 firefighters are at the scene of the fire but might they not be able to save Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Laurent Nunez, speaking to reporters at the scene, says the devastating fire is not limited yet to a certain area and might continue to expand. He says cause of fire at the cathedral is unknown.
There is good news coming out of Paris, for the first time tonight.
A French firefighting official has told Reuters that we can now say that the structure has been saved from "total destruction".
And a French interior minister says that while another three or four hours are needed to contain the fire, they are feeling more optimistic than they had been a few hours ago.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments