Live Your Life ! Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris engulfed in flames. Flames were spotted shooting from the historic Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Monday.
Smoke was billowing from the structure and could be seen from miles away in the French capital.
The city’s fire department said a major operation was underway and a city hall spokesman said on Twitter that the area was being cleared.
A terrible fire is underway at Notre Dame Cathedral,” Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted. She called on Parisians to stay away from the area to allow firefighters to do their work.
The house of worship, with roots dating back to 1160, is considered one of the world’s greatest examples of French Gothic architecture.
Notre Dame was constructed in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII and was completed in 1345. The cathedral is a world-wide Parisian icon and site of some of the most important moments in the history of France. Henry VI of England was crowned inside the cathedral in 1431 and Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of France inside the cathedral in 1804.