View this post on Instagram
15 April 2019: A massive fire has broken out at Paris’ landmark Notre Dame Cathedral this afternoon, destroying the building’s spire and wooden frame.
Latest news updates suggest there are no fatalities or injury reported as a result of the blaze; however, the entire roof and spire have collapsed taking with it the medieval timber interiors of the cathedral, which dates back to 1160.
View this post on Instagram
Smoke is billowing across the city as firefighters tackle the fire.
French president Emmanuel Macron said: ‘Like all of my countrymen, I am sad tonight to see this part of us burn.’
Notre-Dame de Paris en proie aux flammes. Émotion de toute une nation. Pensée pour tous les catholiques et pour tous les Français. Comme tous nos compatriotes, je suis triste ce soir de voir brûler cette part de nous.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 15, 2019
Notre Dame had been undergoing extensive renovation work, and the Catholic cathedral is one of Paris’ major tourist destinations, welcoming around 13 million people per year.
A spokesperson for the cathedral told the BBC: ‘There will be nothing left. It remains to be seen whether the vault, which protects the cathedral, will be affected or not.’
View this post on Instagram
[h/t BBC News, CNN and the Guardian]
Read next: BIG designs a floating city that could survive a hurricane
