On 15 April 2019,  fire broke out in the roof of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, causing considerable damage to the building. The cathedral’s spire and roof collapsed, and significant damage was done to the interior, upper walls and windows of the church. However, the stone ceiling vault beneath the roof prevented most of the fire from falling into the interior of the cathedral below. President Emmanuel Macron has promised to rebuild the cathedral, funded at least partially by a national fundraising campaign.

The fire was estimated to have started in the cathedral’s attic, near the end of the day, when the cathedral was open to tourists. A mass was scheduled near that time, between 18:15 and 19:00. According to those at the scene, the doors of the cathedral were abruptly closed on them as they tried to enter, and white smoke started spreading from the roof.

The white smoke turned to black, indicating a major fire was occurring within the cathedral. Police and other first-responders quickly evacuated the Île de la Cité and the city closed access to the island. Numerous people gathered on opposite banks of the Seine and at nearby buildings to watch the event.

The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the fire hours after it had started.The investigation was led by the Paris Region Judicial Police (DRPJ).The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but was being treated as an accident by police.The prosecutors’ investigation prioritised the theory of “accidental destruction by fire”, but had not ruled anything out, claiming it was too early to know the origin of the fire.

Source : Wikipedia