Notre Dame Cathedral Fire Fully Extinguished, It Has Been Confirmed

The fire that engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has been fully extinguished, it has been confirmed.

The news comes about 15 hours after the blaze took hold of the 850-year-old monument, located in the heart of the city, destroying the roof and iconic spire.

More than 400 firefighters battled through the night to try and save the main frame of the building, which had been ravaged by flames.

Chilling photographs were released this morning showing the level of devastation the inferno wrought on the place of worship.

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Incredibly, a Notre Dame cathedral priest announced last night that all precious artefacts and artwork had been saved from the historic building.

According to the BBC, these items included what is claimed to be the crown of thorns worn by Jesus before his crucifixion and also a tunic, which King Louis IX is said to have worn when he delivered the crown of thorns to Paris.

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."

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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.

According to the Independent, the exact cause of the fire is unknown at the moment but French media outlets have reported how the Parisian fire brigade said it is 'potentially linked' to a major renovation project on the church's spire.

Paris prosecutors's office ruled out arson and possible terror-related motives - it is now being treated as an accident.

Last night French billionaire François-Henri Pinault pledged €100 million (£86m) to help the reconstruction work on the building.

In a statement obtained by French newspaper Le Figaro, the 56-year-old boss of Gucci said: "My father and myself have decided to release a sum of €100 million from our Artemis funds (the family holding company) to participate in the effort that will be necessary for the complete reconstruction of Notre Dame."

Topics: Paris, World News, Interesting, France

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom