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15th Apr 2019

The moment Notre Dame’s world-famous spire fell

Firefighters are tackling the blaze

Oli Dugmore

Firefighters are tackling a blaze at the famous Paris cathedral

Paris’ iconic cathedral Notre Dame is on fire. The cause is not currently known, however officials have said it could be linked to renovation works.

The fire has been raging for at least an hour and caused the cathedral’s world-famous spire to collapse.

The Gothic building, 850 years old, is in urgent need of repair and the Catholic Church launched an appeal for funds last year. A €6 million renovation on the spire was underway.

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Officials have established a cordon around the cathedral. Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo said the fire was “terrible.”

The fire started on Monday afternoon and emergency responders have launched a major operation to combat it.

French newspaper Le Monde reports the fire started in the attic of the famous church, before spreading across its roof.

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Notre Dame is one of the most-visited buildings in the world and annually 12 million people visit it.

The fire was first reported at 5.50pm British Summer Time.