Notre Dame fire: Parisians hold huge vigil at cathedral as monuments around the world light up in solidarity

One World Center, Duomo chapel and Venice theatre among landmarks illuminated with French colours

Notre Dame fire: What we know so far

Parisians gathered in front of Notre Dame on Tuesday night, at a vigil where music was played and attendees prayed for the future of the cathedral.

The fire which devastated the cathedral is thought to have been caused by an accident rather than arson, the Paris public prosecutor said.

Investigators are working to establish what led the centuries-old architectural masterpiece to be consumed by flames on Monday evening.

Fifty investigators are working on the probe and will interview workers from five companies, hired to renovate Notre Dame’s roof.

Remy Heitz, the Paris prosecutor, said the inquiry into the Notre Dame fire would be “long and complex”.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, committed to rebuild the church within five years, in a short public address on Tuesday.

He called for unity and said Notre Dame would be restored to be “even more beautiful”.

“We can do it and once again, we will mobilise,” he said.

Wealthy French benefactors have pledged hundreds of millions of euros to rebuild the famous building after its roof and spire were ravaged by the blaze.

On Tuesday night, monuments around the world were lit up in the colours of the French flag, in a show of solidarity with Paris.

One World Trade Centre, the dome of the Chapel of the Holy Shroud inside the Duomo in Turin and the La Fenice theatre in Venice, were among the monuments taking part in the global gesture.

If you would like to see how the Notre Dame fire unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below:

[16 April 2019 10:35 · Chris Baynes]

The first images taken in today's morning light have revealed the extent of the damage to Notre Dame cathedral, writes my colleague Chiara Giordano:

[16 April 2019 10:58 · Chris Baynes]

Twelve construction workers involved renovating Notre Dame's renovation at time of the fire have already been interviewed by French police, reports Le Monde.

Forty detectives have been deployed to collect witness testimonies as they look to establish what caused the blaze.

Police said last night they had opened an investigation into "involuntary destruction by fire" and did not believe the flames were started deliberately.

[16 April 2019 11:03 · Chris Baynes]

Two police officers and one firefighter were "lightly wounded" during the nine-hour effort to extinguish the blaze, Paris's fire brigade has said.

More than 400 firefighters were involved. 

Officials previously said that one firefighter had been seriously injured. 

[16 April 2019 11:17 · Chris Baynes]

Newspapers around the world splashed images of the Notre Dame inferno on their front pages today. Cyril Petit, an editor at Le Journal du Dimanche, tweeted this mosaic of international coverage: 

[16 April 2019 11:21 · Chris Baynes]

There is no sign that the Notre Dame fire was caused on purpose and investigators "favouring the theory of an accident", the Paris public prosecutor Remy Heitz has said.

Speaking to reporters, he said 50 people were working on what will be a "long" and "complex" probe.

[16 April 2019 11:26 · Chris Baynes]

Queen Elizabeth II has sent a message to French president Emmanuel Macron, saying she was "deeply saddened to see the images of the fire which has engulfed Notre-Dame Cathedral" and extending her "sincere admiration to the emergency services". 

She added: "I extend my sincere admiration to the emergency services who have risked their lives to try to save this important national monument.

"My thoughts and prayers are with those who worship at the Cathedral and all of France at this difficult time."

[16 April 2019 11:38 · Chris Baynes]

British MPs have warned the Palace of Westminster is at risk of a "huge" fire on the scale of the blaze which has devastated Notre Dame.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the inferno in Paris should act as a warning over the crumbling state of buildings in Westminster, which are in need of multibillion-pound restorations.

He said: "You can see the majesty and beauty of that building and to see it destroyed is devastating, I think, for everybody in Paris and indeed around the world, because you see beautiful buildings like that and think of the beautiful buildings we've got in this country.

"If any of those were destroyed in fire, how would we feel about it?"

Politicians have acknowledged that action is needed to safeguard the Houses of Parliament but have spent years wrangling over the best way to proceed.

A "restoration and renewal" programme is not expected to start in earnest until the mid-2020s after MPs and peers voted in early 2018 to leave the historic building to allow the work to be carried out.

Labour MP Chris Bryant, who sat on a joint committee of parliamentarians from both Houses which examined the issue, said: "We have taken far too long already putting our fire safety measures in place.

"Parts of the Palace are as old as Notre Dame and we must make sure that every fire precaution is taken as the major work goes ahead. God knows we've had enough warnings."

The joint committee noted in a 2016 report that "a substantial and growing risk of either a single, catastrophic event, such as a major fire, or a succession of incremental failures in essential systems which would lead to Parliament no longer being able to occupy the Palace".

[16 April 2019 12:04 · Chris Baynes]

Notre Dame is mourned even by non-Catholics because cathedrals and other historic churches offer "a space apart and a place of perspective in a distinctly unsettled world", writes Mike Stuchbery:

[16 April 2019 12:12 · Chris Baynes]

Artworks salvaged from Notre Dame cathedral are to be transferred to Paris's Louvre museum, the French culture minister has said.

My colleague Simon Calder has taken a look at the implications of the fire for the city's tourism industry, and you can read that here.

[16 April 2019 12:28 · Chris Baynes]

A number of parts of Notre Dame's structure "have been identified as particularly vulnerable" but "what remains of the roof should hold", France's culture minister Franck Riester has said.

Architects and firefighters have this morning been assessing damage to the cathedral.

Mr Riester said the structure was largely still "sound" and large paintings, despite suffering some fire damage, were mostly still intact.