The iconic spire on top of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has collapsedduring a firethat broke out on Monday evening.
During the video, onlookers can be heard gasping and screaming as they watch the top of the iconic landmark collapse. “The moment #NotreDame’s spire fell” Galey wrote alongside the chilling footage.
A Paris resident tells PEOPLE that onlookers watching the blaze were moved to tears as they watched the flames.
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The blaze at Notre Dame erupted around 6:30 p.m. Monday local time and quickly appeared to completely consume the structure’s roof. Portions of the roof have also since collapsed, according to France 24.
Onlooker Pierre-Eric Trimovillas told theTimes“It hurts to watch this. The cathedral is the symbol, the heart of Paris,” he said. “Paris is beheaded.”
Angelique de Almeida, also told the newspaper that she cried while watching the spire fall and said, “We are going to lose her, everything is up in flames. We lose this, we lose Paris. It is apocalyptic. And this is the Holy Week.”
A spokesperson for the cathedraltold the BBCthat the whole structure is “burning,” adding, “There will be nothing left.”
Firefighters set up a large security perimeter around the scene while first responders brought in ladders and aerial life arms. According toCNBC, a french official said no injuries had been reported and Paris police said there had been no confirmed deaths.
Many people, includingsome celebrities and President Donald Trump, reacted to the blaze on Twitter to mourn the loss of the landmark.
French President Emmanuel Macron canceled a speech he had scheduled for this evening and headed directly to the scene, where he then met with Paris police, according to theWashington Post.
“Our Lady of Paris in flames. Emotion of a whole nation. Thoughts for all Catholics and for all French,” he wrote in a Tweet translated from French. “Like all our countrymen, I’m sad tonight to see this part of us burn.”
It’s one of the most popular tourist sites in the world, drawing 13 million visitors per year.
source: people.com
