A Notre Dame cathedral priest has claimed that all precious artefacts and artwork have been saved from the historic building.
In a tweet, French journalist Nicolas Delesalle cited Père Frédéric, writing: "Good news: all the works of art were saved. The treasure of the Cathedral is intact, the Crown of thorns, the Holy sacraments."
The fire, which has destroyed destroyed large sections of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, has spread to one of the cathedral's landmark rectangular towers, according to Bloomberg.
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The historic building's spire and roof have already collapsed. No casualties have been reported as of yet.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, however, officials have indicated it could be linked to current renovation work.
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has cancelled a planned public address and has arrived at the scene.
Large plumes of smoke are still billowing from the Gothic building, despite firefighters' best efforts to tackle the blaze over the past few hours.
Bloomberg report that France's civil security agency said all means except water-dropping aircraft have been deployed at the scene, as such methods could cause the whole structure to collapse.
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The cathedral is 850 years old, and last year the Catholic Church launched an urgent appeal for funds to repair the building, which was showing serious signs of decay. The construction of Notre Dame - which means 'Our Lady' - began in 1160 and was mostly completed a hundred years later in 1260. It has been modified on numerous occasions throughout the centuries since.
Numerous world leaders have expressed their sadness on Twitter.
More to follow
