Spire collapses as huge fire rips through Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. A huge fire has broken out in Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral.
Videos circulating on social media shows flames and plumes of smoke pouring from the roof of the medieval building after it caught light this evening. The blaze spread to the spire of the cathedral, which later collapsed.
One witness said: ‘Started watching when it was smoking under the spire and near the scaffolding. The smoke turned yellow and quite low in the sky – fire started blazing over the roof and now heading to the two towers.’
A police officer at the scene said: ‘An evacuation is in progress. People are being advised to clear the area. Everything is collapsing.’
French media quoted the Paris fire brigade saying the fire is ‘potentially linked’ to the renovation work. ‘Our priority is putting the fire out before working out what caused it,’ said an emergency services spokesman. Firefighters have been entering the cathedral in a bid to rescue priceless pieces of art.
The cathedral is one the finest example of French Gothic architecture in Europe, and one of the most visited buildings in the world. Notre Dame – which means ‘Our Lady’ – was build in 1160 and completed by 1260, and has been modified on a number of occasions throughout the century. It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, and is vistied by some 12million people every year.
Photo Credit:FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images
