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Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris | Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris |
(32 minutes later) | |
A fire has broken out at the famous Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris and has spread rapidly across the building. | A fire has broken out at the famous Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris and has spread rapidly across the building. |
The cause is not yet clear, but officials say that it could be linked to renovation work. | |
A major operation to tackle the blaze is under way at the 850-year-old Gothic building, but the cathedral's spire and roof have collapsed. | |
Last year, the Catholic Church in France appealed for funds to save the building, which was crumbling. | |
French President Emmanuel Macron, who is on his way to the scene, said his thoughts were with "all Catholics and all French people." | |
"Like all of my countrymen, I am sad tonight to see this part of us burn." | |
Mr Macron has cancelled his planned speech to the nation following the fire, an Élysée Palace official said. | |
A spokesman for the cathedral said the whole structure was "burning". | |
"There will be nothing left," he said. "It remains to be seen whether the vault, which protects the cathedral, will be affected or not." | |
The blaze broke out on Monday afternoon and an area surrounding the building has been cleared. | |
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who is already at the scene described it as a "terrible fire" and urged people to respect the boundaries set up by fire crews in order to ensure that they remain safe. | |
US President Donald Trump suggested "perhaps flying water tankers" could be used to extinguish the fire. | US President Donald Trump suggested "perhaps flying water tankers" could be used to extinguish the fire. |
The Notre-Dame cathedral, which is visited by millions of people every year, is undergoing renovations after cracks began to appear in the stone, sparking fears the structure could become unstable. | The Notre-Dame cathedral, which is visited by millions of people every year, is undergoing renovations after cracks began to appear in the stone, sparking fears the structure could become unstable. |
The Paris prosecutor's office said it has opened an inquiry into the incident. |