The world-famous Notre Dame cathedral in the heart of Paris appears to be on fire. Videos and photographs are being shared widely online showing flames and smoke billowing from the 850-year-old Catholic church.
Nôtre dame #París pic.twitter.com/Zo4qWvBuun
— Carlos Feria (@carlosferiab) April 15, 2019
Smoke billowing from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. pic.twitter.com/mvx4jN19fH
— David Almacy (@almacy) April 15, 2019
The cause of the fire remains unclear. The BBC notes that the blaze could have been caused by renovation work the church has been undergoing.
#NotreDame on fire ???? pic.twitter.com/2o6fdFmLbC
— Liam Taylor (@LiamMTaylor) April 15, 2019
La charpente s’effondre apparemment #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/N1lpfDHKi9
— Solveig Godeluck (@Solwii) April 15, 2019
Le Monde reports that firefighters are being rushed to the scene and that the fire likely began in the spire of the church. Sources at the scene tell me that the fire is getting bigger and much of the church is in flames. The fire reportedly started at around 6:30 p.m. local time, and authorities weren’t dispatched until around 7 p.m.
Update: The church’s spire has collapsed:
Effondrement. #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/C9SQYcZwHk
— Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) April 15, 2019
This story is developing and will be updated as we learn more.
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