Citizens of France Dumbstruck as Flames Destroy Notre Dame Cathedral

A colossal fire tore through the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris causing its spire to be torn down. The blazing fire has destroyed the roof of the heritage building. It is being speculated that the cause of the fire has been as a result of renovation work in the cathedral. The 850-year-old heritage structure is known to be the pride of France and represents France’s rich heritage and culture.

Around 400 firefighters tried to calm the raging fire last night and finally brought it under control nine hours after it broke out. The Paris fire brigade chief-Jean Claude Gallet said that the main structure of the heritage landmark has been “saved and preserved” including two other towers. One firefighter was seriously injured while battling the flames.

Workers struggled to save all the artworks inside the building. An unknown quantity of cultural treasures has been saved, as per reports. French citizens were dumbstruck seeing the inferno engulf the popular structure. Some onlookers sang a rendition of “Ave Maria” as they watched Notre Dame burn by blazing orange flames from a nearby bridge. Some people hugged each other while others sang hymns following the incident. There were few others who couldn’t bear to witness the structure in flames and held their heads in their hands.

Notre Dame also referred to as the “Our lady of Paris” has significant value in France and the world’s history as it is a living example of French Gothic Architecture. This beautiful landmark which was created in the 12th century is the most visited structure of the French Capital. It is huge and taking care of this building is pretty expensive. Its colourful rose windows, rib vault, flying buttress, and sculptural decorations set the massive structure apart from the others.

The construction of this huge structure began in 1160 and was completed by 1260, however over the years it has undergone several modifications. The pride of France suffered damage during the French revolution during which many of the religious artifacts of significant value were damaged.

Prominent personalities from France showed their solidarity at the unfortunate incident.  Writer in religious history Bernard Lecomte said, “If Paris is the Eiffel Tower then France is Notre Dame. It's the entire culture, the entire history of France incarnated in this monument.”

Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit said, “We have been dealt a knockout blow.” Even the Vatican expressed sadness over the incident. Donald Trump tweeted that it was “horrible” to see the structure in flames. His tweet has also created controversy as he mentioned, “Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!”

In response to this France's civil security service said that water bombing aircraft were not considered as this would cause the entire structure to collapse.

French President Emmanuel Macron headed to the scene after cancelling his planned policy speech. He has vowed to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral. The President has expressed that the worst had been avoided as the raging flames were threatening to engulf the entire UNESCO building. “We will rebuild Notre-Dame because it is what the French expect.” He described Notre Dame as the "the epicentre of our life" and the Cathedral of “all the French” whether religious or not. As the French President promised, citizens of France would be hoping that this large gothic structure and a religious hub to many, may be brought back to its previous glory soon.