Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is on fire. There has been major damage, and the spire has collapsed.
The cathedral was being renovated.
Reuters: Paris’ historic Notre-Dame Cathedral hit by fire
A major fire broke out at the medieval Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on Monday afternoon, leading firefighters to clear the area around one of the city’s most visited landmarks.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the fire. France 2 television reported that police were treating the incident as an accident.
A major operation was under way, the fire department said, while a city hall spokesman said on Twitter that the area was being cleared.
Notre-Dame was in the midst of renovations, with some sections under scaffolding, while bronze statues were removed last week for works.
Wikipedia: Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris (meaning “Our Lady of Paris”) is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France.
The cathedral is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. The innovative use of the rib vault and flying buttress, the enormous and colorful rose windows, and the naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration all set it apart from earlier Romanesque architecture.
The cathedral was begun in 1160 and largely completed by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the following centuries. In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed.
A major restoration project supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc began in 1845 and continued for twenty-five years. Beginning in 1963, the facade of the Cathedral was cleaned of centuries of soot and grime, returning it to its original color.
Another campaign of cleaning and restoration was carried out from 1991-2000.
And as reported Notre-Dame was undergoing further restoration, which is thought to be related to a possible cause of the fire.
