President Macron: The whole of France is grieving
"Notre Dame is our history, our culture, part of our spirituality, the site of our great events, plagues, wars, freedoms, the epicenter of our lives," Mr. Macron told reporters in front of the still-smoking cathedral in Paris.
"Notre Dame is burning and I know the sadness and shock felt by many French people. However, tonight I want to speak with hope," President Macron said as he announced the launch of a fundraising campaign for the cathedral.
 |
| French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral after a fire raged and destroyed much of the structure on the evening of April 15. |
President Macron said the whole of France was grieving.
"Like my fellow citizens, I am sad tonight to see this part of our country burning," Mr. Macron shared on Twitter.
One firefighter was seriously injured and that was the total casualty in the fire.
"We believe that the two towers of Notre Dame have now been saved. We now believe that the main structure of Notre Dame can be saved for restoration," the head of Paris' fire brigade, Jean-Claude Gallet, told reporters at the scene.
Mr Gallet said the cathedral's internal structures were still at risk of collapse and firefighters would have to work through the night of April 15 into the morning of April 16 to cool the cathedral.
Parisians and tourists were shocked and disbelieving as flames engulfed the cathedral on the Seine River. Tens of thousands of spectators crowded bridges across the Seine and along embankments to watch the fire.
World leaders also expressed shock and sent condolences to the French people.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the cathedral was "a symbol of France and European culture".
British Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with the people of France and the emergency services dealing with the "terrible blaze".
The Vatican said the fire at "a symbol of Catholicism in France and around the world" was shocking and saddening, and that it was praying for the firefighters.
US President Donald Trump also called on French firefighters to "act quickly" and deploy aircraft to put out the fire. However, the French Civil Security Agency said they could not do so because it would destroy the structure of the cathedral.