If the famed cathedral in Paris known as Notre-Dame is in your travel plans in the foreseeable future, you will not be able to visit it, as it is currently on fire at the time this article was written; and its spire has collapsed.
Breaking News: Fire Erupts at Notre-Dame in Paris; Spire Collapses; Live Stream
Smoke emanating from the historic landmark can be seen for miles — and the blaze is lighting up the dark sky as the sun sets for the evening.
Firefighters are on the scene and currently attempting to extinguish the flames.
https://twitter.com/patrickgaley/status/1117848909877895171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1117848909877895171&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.marketwatch.com%2Fstory%2Fnotre-dame-cathedral-is-burning-2019-04-15
Notre Dame, Paris, is on fire and it feels like the end of the world. pic.twitter.com/qYYk7ewipq
— Shiv Malik (@shivmalik) April 15, 2019
Neither the cause of the fire nor the extent of the resulting damage is known at this time. Fortunately, no fatalities or injuries have been reported — likely because of the fire alarm which sounded at approximate 6:30 in the evening local time.
No update has yet been posted to the official Internet web site of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.
Here are two live streams:
https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/notre-dame-fire/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=liCNN&utm_content=2019-04-15T18:23:36
https://www.kbtx.com/content/news/Paris-police-report-fire-at-Notre-Dame-Cathedral-508599331.html
About Notre-Dame de Paris
Although it has been modified over the centuries, construction of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral began in the year 1160 and was mostly completed by the year 1260. The cathedral celebrated 850 years of existence in 2013.
This is not the first time that Notre-Dame de Paris has suffered damage over the centuries. The majority of its religious imagery was either damaged or destroyed during the French Revolution in the 1790s.
The site is also not in its original form, as it has been altered numerous times in its vast history.
Additional information and details are found at the official Internet web site of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.
Summary
Fortunately, the front half of Notre-Dame cathedral appears to remain intact at this point. No definitive date has been given as to when access to the building will be open again or as to when the damaged part of the cathedral will be fully restored; but visitors should still be able to take photographs of the front of it after the fire has been extinguished.
In the meantime, Anne Hidalgo — who is the current mayor of Paris — has implored people to please respect the boundaries of the firefighting crews in order to remain safe.
I visited Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris years ago during my first visit to Paris; and I am sad to learn of its extensive damage…
Source: Map data ©2019 Google.
