A spokesperson of the French fire service announced early on Tuesday morning that the devastating fire that ravaged the iconic Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris for hours had been brought under control.
Firefighters battled into the night to combat the intense blaze that led to the collapse of the spire of Notre-Dame and threatened to bring down the entire edifice itself. Nearly 400 firefighters were engaged in trying to control the fire. Around midnight, Paris fire brigade chief Jean-Claude Gallet said, "we can consider that the main structure of Notre-Dame has been saved and preserved" as well as the two towers.
The deputy mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, was quoted as saying workers were scrambling "to save all the artworks that can be saved."
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French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that "we will rebuild" Notre-Dame. Macron, who cancelled a planned televised address to head to Notre-Dame, expressed relief the “worst had been avoided”.
Notre-Dame cathedral was completed in the mid-12 century after nearly 200 years of work. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
