Notre Dame fire: Cathedral blaze 'being treated as an accident' as firefighters continue to fight flames – as it happened

Devastating moment Notre Dame cathedral spire topples over into bed of flames during huge fire

The Notre-Dame in Paris has been devastated after a fire ripped through its roof and burnt large parts of the cathedral.

The medieval roof of the cathedral was almost entirely destroyed but photographs from inside show that much of the structure remained intact, after an hours-long firefighting mission.

One firefighter was reported to have been seriously injured in the blaze. The sacred objects and artwork stored in the cathedral were secured.

Emmanuel Macron has committed to rebuild the cathedral, and has promised an international fundraising effort to restore it to its previous state.

While the cause of the fire is still unclear, authorities said they were believed it to have been started by accident.

Follow our latest live blog here or recap our previous coverage of the fire below

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Key Points

• Spire collapses as entire frame of cathedral is ablaze
• Fire may be related to renovation work, though no cause has yet been found
• Police say no fatalities yet reported and there is no reason to believe blaze was not accidental
• Emmanuel Macron cancels planned speech

[15 April 2019 18:28 · Andrew Griffin]

Live footage shows the fire tearing through the roof of the cathedral, with smoke billowing out across Paris.

[15 April 2019 18:28 · Andrew Griffin]

The cathedral is located on a natural island, Île de la Cité, right in the centre of Paris.

[15 April 2019 18:30 · Andrew Griffin]

The smoke coming from the top of the cathedral is visible right across the city, as seen in this video

[15 April 2019 18:32 · Andrew Griffin]

Initial reports suggest the fire was started in the cathedral's attic, and the visible parts of the blaze do appear to be coming from the centre of the roof. That area has scaffolding around it for building work, as can be seen on this photo.

[15 April 2019 18:33 · Andrew Griffin]

The fire brigade has said that the blaze may be linked to that renovation work, according to French media.

[15 April 2019 18:39 · Andrew Griffin]

This video shows the full scale of the blaze, which appears to be tearing into most of the top of the cathedral

[15 April 2019 18:40 · Andrew Griffin]

[15 April 2019 18:41 · Andrew Griffin]

The fire seems to be spreading fast and now appears to be destroying the structure of the cathedral itself

[15 April 2019 18:42 · Andrew Griffin]

Donald Trump has responded to the fire, with speculation about how it could be put out.

[15 April 2019 18:43 · Andrew Griffin]

Emmanuel Macron has cancelled a planned address to the French people because of the "terrible fire".