Notre-Dame cathedral on fire in Paris | General news

A fire broke out in the famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and quickly spread through the building.

The cause is not yet clear, but officials say it could be related to renovations.

An important Gothic building, 850 years old, is underway to fight the fire, but the spire and roof of the cathedral have collapsed.

Last year, the Catholic Church of France issued a call for funds to save the building, which collapsed.

Hundreds of people gathered in the streets around the cathedral to watch the flames in silence.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived on the scene, said he thought about "all Catholics and all French".

"Like all my compatriots, I'm sad tonight to see this part of us burn."

Mr Macron canceled his speech to the nation after the fire, said an official at the Elysée Palace.

A spokesman for the cathedral said the whole structure was "burning".

"There will be nothing left," he said. "It remains to be seen whether the vault, which protects the cathedral, will be affected or not."

The fire broke out Monday afternoon and an area surrounding the building was cleaned up.

Historian Camille Pascal told French television channel BFMTV that the fire destroyed a "valuable heritage".

"For 800 years, the cathedral has been monitoring Paris," he said.

"Happy and unhappy events for centuries have been marked by the bells of Notre Dame.

"We can only be horrified by what we see".