The heart of Paris - the Notre Dame Cathedral - was ravaged by a disastrous fire on Monday. The damage to the 850-year old medieval cathedral by the outbreak is said to be severe with the building's spire and roof judged to have collapsed. Officials, unsure, have attributed the cause of the calamity to the renovation works that had begun after cracks had appeared in the walls. 

The fire was said to be under control by Tuesday morning, though smaller outbreaks have occurred. President Emmanuel Macron labelled the event as a "terrible tragedy" promising to rebuild this glorious piece of history with help from all over, "So I solemnly say tonight we will rebuild it together".  The visibly emotional President recounted the telling contribution of the Notre Dame to the French culture and history.

Thousands of Parisians wept, while crowds of locals and tourists embraced one another as the magnificent structure burnt at an unrelenting rate. The 12th-century cathedral houses some magical pieces of art captivating imaginations of all its visitors. A combined effort of more than 500 firefighters prevented the bell tower from collapsing while the main structure was saved from total destruction. 

An investigation has begun to uncover how the fire began in the first place. Investigators have started by hearing the testimonies of the&nbspconstruction&nbspworkers that were part of the&nbsprenovating&nbspprogramme.

There was an outpouring of heartfelt messages on social media from around the world, including heads of states, dignitaries and travellers among others