Notre-Dame fire in pictures: 850 years at the centre of French life

A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris last night, sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky.

Smoke and flames rise from Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019.

It took firefighters hours to control the blaze. which resulted in the collapse of the famous spire to collapse. The cause is unknown but officials have said it was possibly linked to ongoing renovation work.

Smoke billows as flames burn through the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral.

An image taken from a television screen shows an aerial view of the Notre-Dame Cathedral engulfed in flames on April 15.

The fire broke out on Monday afternoon and quickly spread across the building, collapsing the spire. The cause is yet unknown but officials said it was possibly linked to ongoing renovation work.

Images posted on social media showed flames and huge clouds of smoke billowing above the roof of the Gothic cathedral, the most visited historic monument in Europe.

A spokesman for the cathedral told AFP that the wooden structure supporting the roof was being gutted by the blaze.

Firefighters are seen dousing the facade of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on the early morning of 16 April.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 16 in the aftermath of a fire that caused its spire to crash to the ground.

Firefighters secure Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 16 in the aftermath of the fire that caused the spire to collapse.

One of the stained-glass windows at the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris, which is likely to have been destroyed by the fire.

The choir screen at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris. Crowds of stunned Parisians and tourists watched on in horror in central Paris as flames engulfed the Cathedral.

Inside the Cathedral there were many historical artefacts including this funerary monument to Archbishop Jean-Baptiste de Belloy.

The Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral was popular with tourists and was one of the most visited attractions in the city.

The cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, looking towards the east, circa 1850. An engraving by Radcliffe after a drawing by Augustus Pugin Jr.