Fire engulfs Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

2019-04-16 3

We start with the shocking news out of France...
A huge fire has broken out at the world famous Notre Dame cathedral in the heart of Paris.
For more on this and other news around the world, let's turn to Hong Yoo.
So what do we know about the blaze so far?
Well Mark, after hours of flames spreading through the cathedral, the Notre Dame fire is now under control.
The secretary to the French interior minister said both towers of the Notre Dame cathedral are safe after flames were seen spreading to one of Notre Dame's iconic rectangular towers.
Yet, large parts of the roof already appear to have been burned and the spire collapsed during the fire.
At least seven firetrucks and 400 fire fighters are working to put the flames out both from the interior and the exterior.
Police have urged everyone to avoid the area and emergency services are pushing people away from scene.
Parisians and tourists watched in horror the flames spread to other parts of the cathedral.
Witnesses in the scene said ash and ambers were falling from the sky as flames progressed through the cathedral.
The fire is known to have begun at 6:30PM local time and police are saying it probably began accidentally and could be linked to the undergoing restoration work within the 850-year-old building.
The Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the devastating fire.
French President Emmanuel Macron at the scene describe the fire as a "terrible tragedy" and announced that he will launch an international fundraising campaign to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral starting from Tuesday.