PARIS — A massive **** engulfed the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of the French capital Monday, toppling its spire and sending thick plumes of ***** high into the blue sky as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below.

A spokesman said the entire wooden frame of the cathedral would likely come down, and that the vault of the edifice could be threatened too.

“Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame,” Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media. The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the *****’s most famous tourist attractions.

The cause of the catastrophic ***** was not known, but French media quoted the Paris **** brigade as saying the **** is “potentially linked” to a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project on the ******’s spire and its 250 tons of lead. Paris ****** said there were no reported ******.

Flames shot out of the roof behind the nave of the cathedral, among the most visited landmarks in the *****. Sights of the flames stopped passers-by in their tracks along the Seine River that passes beneath the cathedral.

French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a televised speech to the nation because of the stunning ***** and was going to the cathedral himself.
French historian Camille Pascal told BFM broadcast channel the **** was destroying “invaluable heritage.”

“It’s been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris,” Pascal said. “Happy and unfortunate events for centuries have been marked by the bells of Notre Dame.”

He recalled that Notre Dame bells sounded the ***** knell following the 2015 Paris *******.
“We can be only horrified by what we see,” Pascal said.

Reporters at the scene saw massive plumes of yellow brown ***** filling the air above the Cathedral and ash falling on the island that houses Notre Dame and marks the centre of Paris.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is in despair at the “terrible ****.” Hidalgo said in a Twitter message that Paris ************ are still trying to limit the **** and urged Paris citizens to respect the security perimeter that has been set around the cathedral.

Hidalgo said Paris authorities are in touch with Paris diocese.

"Désolé mon fils, mais c'est pas tous les jours que Notre-Dame brûle", dit un père à son bébé qui s'impatiente, à deux mètres d'une femme en larmes, soufflant "faut qu'ils fassent quelque chose ! faut qu'ils fassent quelque chose !" #notredame pic.twitter.com/mPxIbGh8Vp

— Jean Birnbaum (@JeanBirnbaum) April 15, 2019