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Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on fire (PHOTO, VIDEO) Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on fire (PHOTO, VIDEO)
(32 minutes later)
Smoke and fire is seen leaping from the top of Notre Dame, the iconic Paris cathedral. Videos shot by people show the blaze engulfing the spire between its bell towers. A fire at the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France has destroyed most of the roof and collapsed the church's central spire. Eyewitness videos show smoke and fire engulfing the jewel of Gothic architecture.
 The fire broke out in the cathedral on Monday afternoon, a Paris fire department confirmed, adding that a major operation to tackle the fire is underway. The blaze broke out in the scaffolding around the spire on Monday afternoon, Paris firefighters confirmed, adding that a major operation to tackle the fire is underway.
The causes of the incident remain unknown so far. There have been no reports on casualties. It is unknown what might have caused the fire.
The medieval cathedral is one of the main attractions of the French capital, seeing 12 million tourists a year, more than the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower.
The Medieval cathedral is one of the main attractions of the French capital, seeing 12 million tourists a year. The incident took place as the jewel of the Gothic architecture was undergoing a major overhaul costing €11 million ($ 12.43 million), with the work scheduled to be finished around 2022.
Notre Dame's roof and the central spire have been destroyed by the flames. The fire has also damaged some of the famous stained glass windows, painstakingly re-created in the 1800s.
The incident took place as the jewel of the Gothic architecture was undergoing a major overhaul costing € 11 million ($ 12.43 million), with the renovation works being expected to be finished around 2022. There was no information on the status of priceless relics stored inside the cathedral, including the Crown of Thorns and a piece of the True Cross.
Last week, 16 bronze statues representing 12 apostles and four evangelists from the New Testament were lifted off the spire of the cathedral by crane. Some scaffolding could be seen close to the flames leaping out near the cathedral’s spire, before it toppled over.
 Last week, 16 bronze statues representing 12 apostles and four evangelists from the New Testament were lifted off the spire of the cathedral by crane. Some scaffolding can now be seen close to the flames leaping out near the cathedral’s spire. The spire itself was made of wood and covered with lead. It has long been in a bad shape as elements of the construction dating back to the 12th century century have been damaged by weather, pollution and time.
The spire itself was made of wood and covered with lead has long been in a bad shape as the elements of the construction dating back to the mid-nineteenth century have been damaged by weather, pollution and time. Construction of Notre Dame began in 1163. It was extensively restored in the mid-1800s.
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