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A blazing inferno has ripped through the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, destroying the roof and the building’s iconic spire.
Fire crews battled the flames for hours and were able to ‘save and preserve’ much of the two main towers in the 856-year-old cathedral.
The catastrophic fire burst through the spire, causing the roof to cave in around 6.30pm Monday evening local time.
Thousands of horrified Parisians watched on as the fire quickly engulfed the gothic piece of architecture, which has reportedly sustained ‘colossal damage’.
Huge plumes of smoke wafted through Paris as firefighters worked tirelessly into the early morning to put out the raging fire.
French authorities are yet to confirm what started the fire, however local media report the flames may be linked to a renovation project on the church spire.
Parisian fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the iconic towers had been saved from the blaze, as authorities state the structure was saved from ‘total destruction’.
One fire-fighter has been seriously injured while two-thirds of Notre Dame’s roofing was destroyed.
The extent of the damage to the rest of the cathedral is still unclear.
‘We’re still working to save the cathedral’s work of arts,’ Laurent Nunez, secretary to France’s interior minister, told reporters on Monday.
French president Emmanuel Macron addressed world media only hours after the last flames were extinguished.
He vowed to ‘rebuild’ the centuries-old Parisian cathedral and praised the firefighters for saving the landmark towers.
‘We will appeal to the greatest talents and we will rebuild Notre-Dame because that’s what the French are waiting for, because that’s what our history deserves, because it’s our deepest destiny,’ Mr Macron said.
More to come.
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