The fire caused serious damage to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

At approximately 7 PM yesterday (April 15th) French time, nearly midnight Vietnamese time, a major fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, one of France's iconic architectural landmarks. The fire destroyed a significant portion of the cathedral.

The fire caused serious damage to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

According to initial reports from the fire department, the fire most likely originated in the renovation work being carried out on the church's roof. The flames spread rapidly, and smoke quickly engulfed the entire church, visible from kilometers away.

French authorities had to mobilize all available resources and equipment to control the fire. By 10 PM that day, more than 400 firefighters had been deployed to extinguish the blaze and simultaneously remove valuable artifacts from inside the cathedral.

With the fire continuing to rage on the roof of the building, the option of using firefighting aircraft was considered but ultimately not used, due to concerns that the large volume of water falling from above would damage the church's roof, which had already been severely weakened by the fire.

Fire trucks were dispatched to extinguish the blaze. Photo: CNN

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was scheduled to deliver a very important televised speech at around 8 p.m. that day, had to cancel his plans to focus on related emergency activities.

As of midnight last night, Paris time (almost 5 a.m. today in Vietnam), the fire was still not under control. At this point, the fire has largely destroyed the roof and, most notably, caused the cathedral's tallest spire to collapse.

In addition, the estimated historical and cultural damage will be enormous because Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris houses priceless French artifacts such as ancient paintings, ancient altars, and ancient tombs…

A profound sadness is engulfing the entire capital of Paris, all of France, and even Europe. Tears have streamed down the faces of so many people that one politician exclaimed, "I wish all these tears could combine to form a rain, to stop the fire destroying Notre Dame Cathedral." Stéphane Bern, appointed by the French President to oversee cultural heritage, wept on television, saying, "France and French history are dissolving into smoke."

The entire roof of the church has collapsed. Photo: CNN

Meanwhile, many political leaders around the world, such as US President Donald Trump, European Council President Donald Tusk, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Italian Prime Minister, leaders of UNESCO, the Vatican, and many other countries, immediately expressed their deep sorrow over this incident and demonstrated solidarity, offering necessary support to France.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is an iconic architectural landmark of France and Paris, considered the heart of the city. Construction of the cathedral spanned nearly 200 years, from the early 12th to the 14th century. With a history of over 850 years, Notre Dame Cathedral is intertwined with most historical and cultural events of France and Europe.

It is also one of the most famous tourist destinations in France, attracting approximately 13 million visitors annually. The Notre Dame Cathedral fire is one of the greatest cultural disasters in France since World War II.