Notre Dame Cathedral was hit with fast-moving fire Monday.
Flames began in the early evening, and they burst through the roof of the centuries-old cathedral.
Teh spire was engulfed and collapsed, followed by the roof.
“Like all our compatriots, I am sad this evening to see this part of all of us brun,” Presidnet Emmanuel Macron tweeted.
The entire city of Paris is covered in smoke and ash, as citizens watch from the other side of the Seine River.
“Basically the whole rooftop is gone,” said Jacek Poltorak, who watched from a fifth-floor balcony two blocks away. “I see no hope for the building.”
Nobody was injured, according to Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.
“It’s too early to determine the causes of the fire,” Nunez said.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has launched an inquiry into how the fire started.
Notre Dame dates back to the 12th century and attracts millions of tourists each year.
The building is the focus of many photographs, paintings, and books, such as Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.”
Notre Dame is considered to be one of the best examples of French Gothic cathedral architecutre, built in 1163 when Bishop Maurice de Slly wanted to reconstruct the once Romanesque church at the same location.
The cathedral was currently undergoing renovations. Some sections were under scaffolding, and bronze statues were removed last week.