Fire at Notre Dame cathedral extinguished - UPDATED
The fire at the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral has been extinguished, TASS reported.
Le Parisien newspaper reported that the fire has only been "partially extinguished."
A fire broke out at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Monday at around 7pm local time. The fire is believed to have broken out because of the renovation works underway at the cathedral.
The top part of the spire and the clock of the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral have collapsed as a result of the fire. An investigation into the incident has been launched.
Notre-Dame Cathedral went up in flames on Monday in a roaring blaze that devastated the Parisian landmark, one of France’s most visited places.
Flames burst through the roof of the centuries-old cathedral and quickly engulfed the spire, which collapsed.
A huge plume of smoke wafted across the city and ash fell over a large area.
Firefighters cleared the area around the cathedral, which marks the very center of Paris.
President Emmanuel Macron canceled an address to the nation that he had been due to give later on Monday evening. A presidential official said Macron was to go to the scene of the blaze.
“A terrible fire is underway at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris,” Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Twitter, according to Reuters.
France 2 television reported that police were treating the incident as an accident.
The cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century, featured in Victor Hugo’s classic novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”. It attracts millions of tourists every year.
Notre-Dame was in the midst of renovations, with some sections under scaffolding and bronze statues were removed last week for works.
News.Az
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