As the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was finally extinguished, pictures emerged showing the devastation the building experienced. The sky is visible through the roof where the spire once stood, but there is hope that much of the medieval architecture can be saved. One of the colourful rose windows appears to be largely unharmed after valiant efforts aby firefighters. The scale of the damage to the building is becoming clear this morning (Picture: Wenn) One of the rose windows appears to be largely unharmed following the fire (Picture: Wenn) A huge part of the building’s roof has collapsed including the spire (Picture: Wenn) Just under 400 firefighters tackled the historic blaze through the night, battling to stop it wreaking complete destruction of the treasured facade after flames torched the roof, sending its spire crashing to the ground before crowds of horrified Parisians. Two police officers and one firefighter were injured during the blaze, which saw teams battle to save the structure of the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece and the priceless artefacts it housed. The tragedy has prompted a global outpouring of support, with leaders pledging to help France rebuild the smouldering ruin. The fire, which broke out as the last crowds of tourists ended visits at around 6pm BST (7pm local time), was finally declared to be ‘fully extinguished’ more than 12 hours later on Tuesday morning. Speaking in front of the cathedral, junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said: ‘The task overnight was to bring the fire under control so it doesn’t re-start. Firefighters look at the damage inside burnt Notre Dame cathedral Play Video Loaded: 0% 0:00Progress: 0% PlayMute Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 0:40 Fullscreen A large hole can be seen in the roof of the cathedral (Picture: Reuters) It is hoped that the majority of the cathedral can be saved (Picture: EPA) Smoke pictured around the altar of the cathedral as firefighters worked on stopping the flames spread further (Picture: AP) Crowds flock to see what's left inside Notre Dame cathedral Play Video Loaded: 0% 0:00Progress: 0% PlayMute Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 0:35 Fullscreen ‘The task is – now the risk of fire has been put aside – about the building, how the structure will resist.’ The Paris Fire Service, Pompiers de Paris, said on Twitter that Notre Dame’s structure and artworks had been saved. It said: ‘The structure of the cathedral is saved and the main works of art have been safeguarded, thanks to the combined action of the various state services committed to our side.’ Officials consider the fire an accident, possibly as a result of restoration work taking place at the global architectural treasure. Gabriel Plus, a spokesman for Paris firefighters, said emergency services were currently ‘surveying the movement of the structures and extinguishing smouldering residues’. Scores of Parisians gathered on the banks of the Seine as the sun rose on Tuesday morning to survey the damage to their beloved landmark. It is expected to take several days to completely extinguish all remaining pockets of fire (Picture: Reuters) Attention is beginning to turn to what may have caused the landmark, part of which was being restored, to fall victim to such a disaster (Picture: Reuters) The first harrowing images from within the fire-ravaged cathedral began to emerge as firefighters brought the blaze under control (Picture: Backgrid) Ashes from the cathedral’s spire blew across the banks of the river, along with the blossom from Notre Dame’s gardens. Daniel Etieve, 70, said: ‘It’s a very sad picture. For over 800 years this cathedral has been passed from generation to generation. ‘Now I question what state we will pass it on to the generations after us. A 55-year-old art historian, who gave his name as Fabrice, said it was ‘hard to believe that this is happening in Paris – part of ourselves has been destroyed’. he said. ‘I always go for a walk in this area every day and come to see Notre Dame. It’s like coming to visit an elderly parent.’ Mr Plus said that now the fire is out, ‘this phase is for the experts’ to plan how to consolidate the edifice. Ashes can be seen falling in the background (Picture: Reuters) (Picture: Abaca/PA) Hundreds of millions of euros have been pledged to rebuild the national monument, while French president Emmanuel Macron said a national subscription would be launched when he visited the scene on Monday night. French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH have pledged 200 million euro (£173 million) towards the reconstruction of Notre Dame, following a reported 100 million euro (£86 million) donation from another French billionaire, Francois Pinault. And the UK ambassador to France, Ed Llewellyn, said the country stands ready to help with efforts to restore the building. Meanwhile, European Council president Donald Tusk called on the EU’s member countries to help, saying the site in Paris is a symbol of what binds Europe together. Mr Tusk told representatives that the blaze reminds Europeans of ‘how much we can lose’.
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