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Flames Light Up Paris As Notre Dame Cathedral Burns

(Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT / AFP / Getty Images)

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire Monday, sending smoke billowing into the Paris skyline in photos and videos captured by locals and tourists alike.

Shiv Malik, author and former investigative journalist for The Guardian, shared a video with the caption, “Notre Dame, Paris, is on fire and it feels like the end of the world.” (RELATED: Batons, Rocks And Fireworks: Rioters Converge On Paris Over Gas Tax Hikes)

Al Jazeera producer Tristan Redman noted that it didn’t look good.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, called for residents and tourists to stay away from the area because of security concerns.

According to the reports from the Paris Fire Service, the blaze may be linked to ongoing renovations of the cathedral.

President Donald Trump responded to the news on Twitter, saying, “So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.” He urged those battling the blaze to “act quickly,” suggesting the use of airborne water tankers.

Initial construction of the massive project began in 1163 and took two centuries to complete.

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