Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burns

What looks like a raging fire, seems to be consuming the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. A huge column of thick smoke, which can be seen from several parts of the city, rises over the temple since shortly before seven o'clock in the afternoon (18:30-18:50h).

Over the past few days renovation work had been underway, which had forced the withdrawal of large exterior sculptures. The first known information indicates that the fire may be linked to the works being carried out on the roof of the cathedral. The temple spire, which was surrounded by scaffolding due to the works, is engulfed in flames, which have spread over part of the roof.

The Dantesque images of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, an incalculable loss for Europe.

The fire is reminiscent of significant and important ones such as the Mackintosh School of Art in Glasgow. Its magnitude is still to be determined, although the images show how the flames have devoured the upper part of the building. At the moment, it is unknown whether there have been any injuries.

An 850-year-old Gothic temple, which has become one of the most visited landmarks of the French capital. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has called for "respecting the security perimeter" after crowds gathered in the surroundings. For his part, Emmanuel Macron, president of the French Republic, has suspended his entire agenda and is planning an intervention.

Le président américain, Donald Trump, a suggéré d’« utiliser des bombardiers d’eau » pour éteindre l’incendie. Ce n’est pas une option pour la Sécurité civile. Le Monde.

US President Donald Trump suggested "using water bombers" to extinguish the fire. This is not an option for Civil Security. Le Monde.

9:53 # LAST MINUTE "We're not sure we can control the spread" of the fire, say Firefighters about the fire that destroys Notre Dame Cathedral.

Notre Dame was visited daily by 30,000 people.

23:10 # LAST MINUTE According to different sources, "it can be considered that the structure of Notre Dame is safe and preserved in its entirety", in the words of General Jean-Claude Gallet, head of the "Firemen / Pompiers of Paris". In turn, the Secretary of State for the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, affirms that "Fire has lost intensity".

03:50 # LAST MINUTE "The fire is completely under control, it is partially extinguished, there are residual fires to extinguish," Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Plus, spokesman for the Paris Fire Department, told AFP.