The Paris Fire Brigade tweeted that over 400 firefighters battled the blaze for nine hours which may have been related to ongoing restoration work.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the nation was mourning and appealed for help in rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral.
The family of Bernard Arnault, a French business magnate, has promised to contribute $226 million (U-S).
Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, tweeted with a call to all 28 member states of the European Union to help France rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral.
The iconic cathedral went up in flames Monday, devastating the cathedral, causing a huge loss for the city, for France and the world.
The spire collapsed quickly followed by the entire roof, however the two famous bell towers remain intact.
Notre Dame Cathedral was built more than 800 years ago. http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/
Notre-Dame is aflame. Great emotion for the whole nation. Our thoughts go out to all Catholics and to the French people. Like all of my fellow citizens, I am sad to see this part of us burn tonight. https://t.co/27CrJgJkJb
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 15, 2019
#intervention Retour en images sur le feu à #NotreDame de Paris qui a mobilisé près de 400 pompiers. pic.twitter.com/O9ELwENcoY
— Pompiers de Paris (@PompiersParis) April 16, 2019
(photo Pompiers de Paris Facebook)
story by Gary Nickerson
nickerson.gary@radioabl.ca
