This was the collapse of the spire of the main tower of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Before the helpless gaze of firefighters, who still can not reach the epicenter of the fire, the needle of the main tower It collapsed nearly an hour after the start of the flames.

The information was confirmed by Emmanuel Gregory, the deputy mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who lamented the "colossal damage".

"Now a special mission has begun to try to save all works of art" and "priority has been given to securing the surroundings in order to protect tourists and neighbors from the risk of collapse"He told a TV channel.

"There will be nothing left of the structure (roof), which dates from the 19th century on one side and XIII on the other," lamented Andre Finot, spokesman for the cathedral.

French writer and historian Camille Pascal He told French radio BFMTV that the fire had caused "the destruction of an inestimable heritage" and that "we can only be horrified by what we see".

"800 years have pbaded since the cathedral guarded Paris" and his bells rang for "happy and unhappy events," he said.

The cathedral of Notre Dame, one of the main tourist attractions of the French capital, was currently under repair. However, the architect in charge of the works told the French media that at the time of the flames, at 18:50 in the French capital, there was no one working on the site anymore. .

At the time of the fire, there were 2,000 people – among the workers and tourists – inside the cathedral. However, for the moment no deaths or injuries have been reported.