Prosecutors say Paris police will conduct an investigation into "involuntary destruction caused by fire."

A French official and the Paris fire chief say they think Notre Dame Cathedral's landmark rectangular towers have been saved from the fire that caused horrific damage.

Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said late Monday that authorities remain "prudent" but are "much more optimistic" than earlier in the night.

Paris fire commander Jean-Claude Gallet said a major accomplishment of hundreds of firefighters was stopping the flames from spreading to the north tower belfry.

Gallet says two-thirds of Notre Dame's roofing "has been ravaged." He says one firefighter was injured.

He says fire crews will keep working overnight to cool down the structure.

The mayor of Paris says people who live near Notre Dame Cathedral have been evacuated in preparation for the burning structure's possible collapse.

But Mayor Anne Hidalgo said late Monday that firefighters were optimistic they could keep the towers that bookend the famous cathedral from going up in flames.

The fire chief in Paris went even further, saying his crews managed to stop the flames from reaching the belfry and prevented a catastrophic collapse.

Gallet says one firefighter was injured.

Hildago says the significant collection art work and holy objects kept inside the church has been recovered.

Parisians have gathered to say prayers and sing hymns In front of the nearby Saint Julien Les Pauvres church as the massive blaze at Notre Dame Cathedral burns only a few hundred meters away.

Flames and smoke rose in the sky behind the singers. A couple hundred people kneeling in prayer at the centre of a larger group, who are standing around the edge and joining in the hymns between the prayers.

Paris archbishop Michel Aupetit is inviting priests across France to ring the bells of their churches in a call for prayers for Notre Dame.

Aupetit is at the cathedral and will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron later Monday night.

An official from the French Interior Ministry says 400 firefighters are at the scene of the fire but might they not be able to save Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Laurent Nunez, speaking to reporters at the scene, says the devastating fire is not limited yet to a certain area and might continue to expand. He says cause of fire at the cathedral is unknown.

A group of Americans from Maine had just finished visiting Notre Dame Cathedral and were in a nearby park when they heard it was on fire.

Freeport resident Lucy Soule, 22, said it was "weird" having been in the church right before this happened. "Now you can smell it burning."

Soule and her father, Win Soule, 58, and Libby Heselton, 53, are on a weeklong trip to Paris where they planned to "see all the sights" and had just finished their visit to Notre Dame. They had been in the cathedral at 5:30 p.m., about an hour before the fire.

Win told The Associated Press "Now I feel sorry for the people tomorrow. They won't be able to see it."

He says "it's incredible. I'm not religious, but this is clearly very important to a lot of people."

The fire chief in Paris says it's unclear if city firefighters will be able to keep a fire at Notre Dame from spreading and causing more destruction.

Fire Chief Jean-Claude Gallet said outside the iconic cathedral as his crews battled the blaze from both the exterior and interior: "We are not sure we are capable of stopping the spreading" to Notre Dame's second tower and belfry.

Gallet said: "If it collapses, you can imagine how important the damage will be."

Flames already have reached one of Notre Dame's towers and brought down the church spire that extended 96-meters-high (315-feet.

The Vatican has issued a statement about the "terrible fire" that has "devastated" Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The Vatican said: "The Holy See has seen with shock and sadness the news of the terrible fire that has devastated the Cathedral of Notre Dame, symbol of Christianity in France and in the world."

The statement says the Vatican is praying for firefighters "and those who are doing everything possible to confront this dramatic situation" on Monday.

It also expressed "our closeness to French Catholics and the population of Paris, and we assure our prayers for firefighters

French President Emmanuel Macron is treating the fire gutting Notre Dame Cathedral as a national emergency.

Macron reached the landmark cathedral on Monday evening and went straight into meetings at the nearby Paris police headquarters.

France's civil security agency says "all means" except for water-dropping aircraft were deployed to tackle the blaze.

The defence agency said those were unsuitable for fires like the one at Notre Dame because dumping water on the building could cause the whole structure to collapse.

The mammoth fire that destroyed the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral has spread to one of the church's landmark rectangular towers.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene of Monday's fire in Paris watched the flames blazing behind an oblong stained-glass window in the tower.

Paris police say fighters are inside the cathedral working to put the flames out while others work from the exterior. Red smoke is pouring out of the cathedral.

A Notre Dame spokesman said earlier that the church's entire wooden interior was in flames.

French writer and historian Camille Pascal says a massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral has caused "the destruction of invaluable heritage" and "we can be only horrified by what we see."

Pascal told French broadcaster BFMTV: "It's been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris" and its bells pealed for both "happy and unfortunate events."

He recalled that Notre Dame's bells sounded a death knell after the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris.

Authorities are investigating if renovation work on the cathedral's fire was a factor in starting or spreading the fire.

On Thursday, 16 religious statues were removed from the peak for the first time in over a century to be taken for cleaning and therefore escaped the blaze.

French President Emmanuel Macron says the fire consuming Notre Dame Cathedral is taking part of everyone in France with it.

Macron tweeted after the blaze broke out in the cathedral's spire on Monday he was sad to see "a part of us being on fire."

He extended "thoughts for all the Catholics and all the French."

His administration says Macron is heading to Notre Dame.

The deputy mayor of Paris says Notre Dame Cathedral has suffered "colossal damages" from a fire that started in the spire and caused it to collapse.

Speaking to BFMTV, Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said first responders now trying to salvage the art and other priceless pieces stored in the cathedral.

A cathedral spokesman has said the entire wooden interior of the Notre Dame is burning and likely to be destroyed.

U.S. President Donald Trump has tweeted about the fire engulfing Paris' iconic Notre Dame Cathedral.

Trump wrote on Twitter after the fire broke out Monday: "So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris" and made suggestions for how first responders should tackle it.

He said: "Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out," adding: "Must act quickly!"

Firefighters were trying to contain the fire when the cathedral's spire collapsed. Authorities say the wooden interior now is burning.

The soaring spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has collapsed in flames, and a church spokesman says the entire wooden interior of the 12th century landmark is burning and likely to be destroyed.

A massive fire engulfed the roof of the cathedral in the heart of the French capital on Monday afternoon as Parisians watched in horror.

Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media: "Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame."

The cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions.

The cause of the blaze isn't yet known, but scaffolding could be seen on the roof of the burning structure. The spire was undergoing renovation.

Police in Paris say the cause of the massive fire enveloping the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral isn't yet known.

The French capital's police department said no deaths have been reported from Monday's fire. The police department didn't say anything about injuries.

The peak of the 12th century cathedral is undergoing a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project.

French media quoted the Paris fire brigade saying the fire is "potentially linked" to the renovation work.

Located on the Ile de la Cite in the centre of Paris, the Gothic cathedral is among the most famous from the Middle Ages and was built on the ruins of two earlier churches.

French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a televised speech to the nation because of a massive fire enveloping the top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Flames are shooting out of the roof behind the nave of the 12th cathedral, one of the world's most visited landmarks.

The sight stopped pedestrians in their tracks along the Seine River, which passes under the cathedral.

Authorities said the fire could be linked to renovation work. It's unclear if anyone has been hurt in the fire.

Macron's pre-recorded speech was set to be aired later Monday on French TV. Macron was expected to lay out his plan to address the citizen complaints that gave rise to the yellow vest protests that have rocked France since November.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says firefighters are trying to contain a "terrible fire" at the city's Notre Cathedral.

An AP reporter at the scene of Monday's fire says the roof at the back of the cathedral, behind the nave, is in flames and yellow-brown smoke and ash fill the sky.

Hidalgo urged residents of the French capital to stay away from the security perimeter around the Gothic-style church. The mayor says city officials are in touch with Roman Catholic diocese in Paris.

Firefighters are battling a massive blaze at the French capital's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral.

Flames and black smoke were seen shooting from the base of the medieval church's spire on Monday.

The peak of the church is undergoing a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project.

French media quoted the Paris fire brigade saying the fire is "potentially linked" to the renovation work.

By The Associated Press</s>Americans have both shaped and been shaped by history. We are generous; so are our friends. Today, we must pause to understand the importance of the horrific fire which consumed Notre Dame de Paris on Monday, then resolve with all our hearts to help the French rebuild.

In 1886, the People of France took up a collection – and donated $250,000 to build a gift for America. That gift was the Statute of Liberty, a symbol of America’s freedom, generosity and heart. The sum would top $7 million today.

Lady Liberty holds a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left that bears the date July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The symbolism was profound even in its day – and profoundly admiring. The iron truss was designed by Gustav Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame.

FROM THE FLAMES, NOTRE DAME WILL REBUILD

There was more to the French gift than gratitude for our devotion to liberty, equality and the brotherhood of man. The bond went far deeper. It had to do with shared values, losses, and victories.

When struggling Americans needed help – no place to turn – in our Revolution, a brave Frenchman named Marquis de Lafayette, together with 10,000 French troops and 20,000 sailors showed up and took their place beside George Washington.

Lafayette stayed at Washington’s side through the brutal battles of Brandywine, Valley Forge, Albany, Monmouth and Yorktown. He was wounded at Brandywine, then commanded a third of the Revolutionary troops at Yorktown.

The French lost more troops at Brandywine than did Washington. The bond between the two was tight and timeless, as between Lafayette and Jefferson. Lafayette loved the depthless American spirit. The Americans were eternally grateful – and indebted – to the French.

Perhaps that was part of the 1886 gift which stands in New York Harbor today. At 305 feet in height, the Statue of Liberty rises 79 feet higher than the twin towers of Notre Dame de Paris’s West Façade – still standing by the Grace of God after Monday’s devastating fire. The American heart aches at this loss.

These two monuments embody the best in human friendship between individuals and cultures, and the best of mankind – a commitment of free men and women to faith, history, heart, freedom, humanity and generosity.

They are symbols of selflessness, the sort that bound Americans and Frenchmen together in trenches, bunkers and beaches through two searing wars for freedom, peace and Western civilization – in places like Verdun, Somme, and Meuse-Argonne, Normandy, Bastogne and the Ardennes.

Today, the Statue of Liberty stands tall. But that blessed, iconic Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris is brought low by fire. She has stood, a spiritual sentry, through the American and French Revolutions, through two World Wars, and for more than 600 years prior to Lafayette and Washington. Today, as never before, she is in need – and it is time we stand for her.

That is why Americans should take this moment to return the love that brought Lafayette and 30,000 Frenchmen to risk their all for us, and caused Gustav Eiffel, sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, and French donations to give us our Statue of Liberty.

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The French must know that, in the heart-stopping loss of their peerless Notre Dame de Paris, we Americans are with them. Our hearts are as heavy as George Washington’s and the Marquis de Lafayette’s at the specter of deep loss, but our resolve is as firm as theirs at Yorktown.

We Americans are quick to remember, slow to forget, and historically generous. So are the French. We must now rise to help rebuild, restore and re-establish the grandeur and peace of Notre Dame, so we can again revere this symbol of all that is good, right and shared between eternal friends – in a world that too often moves as if history does not matter, when it does.</s>ROME — The president of France and the archbishop of Paris have vowed to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral after a devastating fire, continuing what a professor of architecture described as the natural lifecycle of a historic building.

Steven W. Semes, a professor and director of graduate studies in the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said he was as shocked and pained as everyone watching on television as the building burned April 15.

“Like all historic monuments,” he said, Notre Dame Cathedral is “the result of hundreds and hundreds of years of development” with an initial idea, a long and labor-intensive construction process, design changes, additions, demolitions and remodeling over and over again as fashions and usages change.

So, from the initial construction, which began in 1160, the cathedral “was transformed multiple times,” he told Catholic News Service in Rome, where he regularly teaches. When one looked at Notre Dame before the fire, “we weren’t seeing the cathedral as it was built, we were seeing it through layers of change.”

“Buildings and cities do change through time,” Semes said. “We wouldn’t go see a painting by Rembrandt that four people had painted over, but we look at almost any historic building and we see something that has been restored multiple times — sometimes restored in a way very faithful to an early state and sometimes not.”

“One thing about buildings and cities is that they are more like natural phenomena than other art works. Think of a forest. You can have a fire in a forest, but then it comes to life again,” he said. “Buildings are resilient.”

“Hope springs from seeing monuments that have endured,” even though they almost never remain unchanged, Semes said.

“A lot of people are feeling today, ‘We can’t do it again’ or ‘It can’t be restored,'” and while that would be true of a painting, the professor said, “we do have the skills to restore this building.”

“Obviously, a big fire has a big impact,” he said, but even for nonbelievers, there is a sensitivity to the fact that Notre Dame Cathedral was not just a treasure of Gothic architecture.

“Notre Dame was truly a work of devotion,” he said. “Think about it — how large the building was compared to everything else in the city, the attention, the loving care that went into making it, ornamenting it and maintaining it. This is truly an act of devotion; it is a kind of sacramental.”

The building as a church “speaks to people,” whether they are believers, he said, pointing to similar reactions in 2015 when a massive earthquake in Nepal toppled Buddhist statues and monuments. “We feel these things even if we are not personally involved in that particular tradition.”

The key to understanding Notre Dame Cathedral was summarized by Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit in a television interview in the wee hours of April 16: “Why was this beauty built? What jewel was this case meant to contain? Not the crown of thorns (a relic saved from the fire), but a piece of bread that we believe is the body of Christ.”

Pope Francis, in a message April 16 to Archbishop Aupetit, expressed his solidarity with the sadness of Parisians, calling Notre Dame “an architectural jewel of a collective memory, the gathering place for many major events, the witness of the faith and prayer of Catholics in the city.”

The pope also expressed his confidence that the cathedral would be rebuilt and continue its vocation as “a sign of the faith of those who built it, the mother church of your diocese, (and) the architectural and spiritual heritage of Paris, France and humanity.”

Antoine-Marie Izoard, editor of the French Catholic magazine Famille Chretienne, told CNS, “That this happened at the beginning of Holy Week makes it even more striking and calls us to Christian hope.”

“Last night, Catholics, members of other religions and nonbelievers united around this strong symbol in the heart of Paris,” he said April 16. “It was very striking to see Catholics praying around the cathedral for the firefighters battling the flames.”

Add to that French President Emmanuel Macron’s determination to rebuild, he said, and “we realize once again that the Christian roots of the country are still at the heart of France.”

Italian Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, told reporters April 16 that while Notre Dame, like other French cathedrals, is state property, “it remains a living creature in which the liturgy is celebrated, encounters of faith occur and even nonbelievers enter to make a tour of beauty.”

The prayerful, tearful public vigils that took place as the fire burned, he said, demonstrated how “the great cathedrals and basilicas really are living bodies.”

And, the cardinal said, Notre Dame is not just a living sign of religiosity, but is “the heart, the beating heart” of Paris.

Contributing to this story was Carol Glatz at the Vatican.

‘Infinite sadness’ marks the loss of grand Cathedral of Notre Dame</s>French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH have pledged 200 million euros ($226 million) for the reconstruction of Notre Dame, following a reported 100 million-euro donation from another French billionaire, Francois Pinault.

A statement Tuesday from LVMH said the luxury goods group and the Arnault family would make the donation to a rebuilding fund for the cathedral, which was consumed by flames Monday evening.

LVMH called the cathedral a "symbol of France, its heritage and its unity."

Pinault made the pledge to AFP and wrote in a statement, "My father and I have decided to release as of now from the funds of Artemis a sum of 100 million euros to participate in the effort that will be necessary for the complete reconstruction of Notre Dame," Buzzfeed reported.

Pinault owns the company Kering, which own luxury fashion brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent, according to The Hill.

RELATED: No French trees big enough to rebuild Notre Dame roof

RELATED: Father-daughter photo one of final images before Notre Dame fire

François-Henri Pinault husband of Salma Hayek poses for photographers on the red carpet at the screening of the film Tale of Tales at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Thursday, May 14, 2015.

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the cathedral and says a national fundraising campaign to restore Notre Dame would be launched Tuesday.

The French leader says he is seeking international help to restore the Paris landmark and calls on the world’s “greatest talents” to help.

The catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below.

The blaze collapsed the cathedral's spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the church's structure had been saved after firefighters managed to stop the fire spreading to the northern belfry.

The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions, immortalized by Victor Hugo's 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.</s>As the ashes settle at Notre Dame, the laborious restoration process can begin. Rebuilding the cathedral will take years. Yet, for a structure that took decades to construct, and then stood for centuries more, this may simply mark the latest evolution of a building that has been reshaped many times during its 850-year history.

These early donations suggest that, perhaps, the most difficult part of any major restoration project -- funding -- may be taken care of. But, assuming the requisite backing transpires, how exactly will the process be carried out?

Before distinguishing between the salvageable from the unrecoverable, immediate steps will need to be taken to prevent further damage, according to architectural historian and broadcaster, Jonathan Foyle.

"It's already a wet building because of the water that's been pumped on it, so they're going to need to provide some kind of cover from the elements," he said in a phone interview. "The roof's job was to discharge thousands of tons of water, so where's that going to go? Every time it rains it's going to cause damage at this point, so it's against a war of attrition now."

After protecting the building's remains, restoration teams will begin assessing the level of damage. The vault appears to be only partially damaged, but the stonework could be more compromised than it appears.

High temperatures can change the chemical nature of limestone, Foyle said, with the resulting calcification potentially weakening the structure. And pouring cold water onto hot stone -- as will have inevitably happened as firefighters tackled the blaze -- can caused thermal shocks that may have cracked parts of the cathedral's stonework.

French authorities will then, ultimately, need to take a series of design decisions about how best to rebuild. To do so, they will need to better understand how the medieval cathedral was constructed.

"The stripped roof and upper masonry will reveal aspects of the building's history which probably haven't been understood," Foyle said. "Notre Dame has virtually no building records. We know (that construction) started in 1163 and was basically completed by about 1240, but there are no building accounts.

"Evidence for the evolution of that building is in the physical fabric, so you'll need an army of archaeologists all over it to better understand which parts they're repairing and what they belong to."

Another episode in 'creation, destruction and repair'

Authorities may wish to stay faithful to earlier renditions of the state-owned cathedral. But it's also plausible that France takes a bold new direction with one of its most iconic national monuments.

That 19th-century restoration also saw other significant changes to the cathedral's facade and interiors.

"Notre Dame is not a building that has been fossilized in time, Foyle said. "It has not remained static since the early 13th century.

"It's not something that had been perfectly preserved which was totally destroyed last night. You might (instead) see this as a traumatic episode in the long history of cyclical creation, destruction and repair. It's lived through wars, it's lived through reformers, and this will, I think, prove to be another episode."

Perhaps a more relevant precedent is the UK's York Minster, a gothic church partially destroyed in a 1984 fire. It was restored over four years a cost of just £2.25 million (about £7 million, or $9 million in today's money). And, in terms of structural damage, Notre Dame may be in better condition, as its vault was primarily made from stone, not wood.

"It seems as if the church beneath (the burned roof) has been protected from the intense fire," Foyle said. "That's the big difference between somewhere like Notre Dame and York Minster, which had oak vaults and therefore fell to the ground and burned upwards. And even so, York was salvaged."</s>French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH have pledged 200 million euros ($226 million) for the reconstruction of Notre Dame, following a reported 100 million-euro donation from another French billionaire, Francois-Henri Pinault.

A statement Tuesday from LVMH said the luxury goods group and the Arnault family would make the donation to a rebuilding fund for the cathedral, which was consumed by flames Monday evening.

LVMH called the cathedral a "symbol of France, its heritage and its unity."

RELATED: No French trees big enough to rebuild Notre Dame roof

RELATED: Father-daughter photo one of final images before Notre Dame fire

Before Arnault's announcement, Francois-Henri Pinault and his billionaire father Francois Pinault said they were immediately giving 100 million euros from their company, Artemis, to help finance repairs to the cathedral devastated by fire Monday night.

A statement from Francois-Henri Pinault said: "This tragedy impacts all French people" and "everyone wants to restore life as quickly as possible to this jewel of our heritage."

CEO of LVMH Bernard Arnault, left, and Francois-Henri Pinault, CEO of luxury group Kering. AP Photos/Christophe Ena)

Pinault owns the company Kering, which own luxury fashion brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent, according to The Hill.

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the cathedral and says a national fundraising campaign to restore Notre Dame would be launched Tuesday.

The French leader says he is seeking international help to restore the Paris landmark and calls on the world’s “greatest talents” to help.

The catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below.

The blaze collapsed the cathedral's spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the church's structure had been saved after firefighters managed to stop the fire spreading to the northern belfry.

The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions, immortalized by Victor Hugo's 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.</s>A Crown of Thorns said to have been the one placed on the head of Jesus Christ, the Tunic of St. Louis (a 13th century French king) and bronze statues are among the first religious artefacts known to have been rescued from the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, which burst into flames Tuesday at 6:40 pm Central European Summer Time (12:40 pm Tuesday, Eastern Time).

The fire occurred as the Christian world commemorates Holy Week.

Flames engulfed the upper part of the historic cathedral, which is being renovated, including the central spire. The medieval roof structure, which is also known as "the Forest," burned down and the spire collapsed from the spreading flames.

"The framework from the 13th century is called a forest, because it required a forest of trees to build it," said Msgr. Patrick Chauvet, rector of the cathedral.

At the time of the fire, the cathedral was undergoing renovations on the spire at an estimated cost of $6.8 million. Steel scaffolding was erected around the roof.

Fortunately, the stone, copper and bronze statues, including statues of the 12 Apostles, were removed from the site days before the fire in preparation for the renovation. Investigators say the fire might be linked to the renovation. They have ruled out arson or a terrorist attack as the cause of the massive blaze, for now.

No deaths have been reported but one French fire fighter was seriously injured. More than 400 firemen from the Paris Fire Brigade are battling the blaze while emergency responders scrambled to save the priceless art and religious artefacts kept in the Cathedral.

Notre Dame spokesperson Andre Finot said "the (whole structure is) burning ... there will be nothing left. It remains to be seen whether the vault, which protects the cathedral, will be affected or not."

He also said they now believe "that the two towers of Notre Dame have been saved. We now consider that the main structure of Notre Dame has been saved and preserved." The famous bells of Norte-Dame are safe.

French president Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the storied cathedral and urged the world to help in its reconstruction.

"I'm telling you all tonight -- we will rebuild this cathedral together," he said. "This is probably part of the French destiny. And we will do it in the next years. Starting tomorrow, a national donation scheme will be started that will extend beyond our borders."

The Vatican expressed "great shock and sadness" about the fire at Notre Dame. It called the cathedral "a symbol of Christianity in France and in the world."

"We express closeness to the French Catholics and the people of Paris and we assure our prayers for the firefighters and those who are doing everything possible to face this dramatic situation," said a Vatican statement.

The Ile de la Cité, the island in the Seine where the cathedral is located, was evacuated during the blaze.

Construction of Notre-Dame was completed in 1345 more than a century after work began in 1163.

This article originally appeared in IBTimes US.</s>In a tweet this morning, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the company would be donating to rebuilding efforts to restore Notre-Dame.

Cook’s commitment comes as French companies and private families have rallied to the cause of rebuilding the centuries-old cathedral (and international symbol of Paris and France), which was largely destroyed in a fire yesterday.

In all, companies like LVMH, which owns the luxury fashion brands Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Givenchy; Total, the French energy giant; and the billionaire owner of the luxury company, Kering, Francois Henri-Pinault, have committed $450 million to reconstruction efforts for the church.

Firefighters saved the iconic cathedral from total destruction after a fire broke out Monday evening, but not before the fire ravaged the 856-year-old building, destroying much of its roof and its main spire.

After eight hours, firefighters were able to control and then extinguish the blaze, saving its two rectangular towers that flank the main entrance to the church, and relics, including the Crown of Thorns, said to have been worn by Jesus Christ before the crucifixion.

Apple did not respond yet to a request for comment.

This is a developing story and we will update it as we get more details.</s>Despite the depressing sight of a burning Notre Dame Cathedral just a few days ago, a silver lining is already on the horizon. Especially after French President Emmanuel Macron declared that restoration will take place. Moreover, millions have already been pledged to fund it.

However, one more positive news comes from an unlikely source: video games. Specifically, Ubisoft‘s Assassin’s Creed Unity, which has an extremely detailed recreation of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

In order for the artists at Ubisoft to depict the 800-year old building in-game, they have taken hundreds of laser scans inside and out. Granted, the game takes place hundreds of years ago, but it would still be a big help for the restoration.

There are also plenty of other sources available, including from other historians. The use of laser scanners means they actually got every nook and cranny, and did not miss any detail. While it will take some time, this does not have to be a tragic loss.

In case you have not played the game or want to see the famed cathedral, YouTuber Psycho Werekitsune is kind enough to upload a 4K UHD walkthrough video of the place from Assassin’s Creed: Unity.</s>French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH have pledged 200 million euros ($226 million) for the reconstruction of Notre Dame, following a reported 100 million-euro donation from another French billionaire, Francois-Henri Pinault.

A statement Tuesday from LVMH said the luxury goods group and the Arnault family would make the donation to a rebuilding fund for the cathedral, which was consumed by flames Monday evening.

LVMH called the cathedral a "symbol of France, its heritage and its unity."

RELATED: No French trees big enough to rebuild Notre Dame roof

RELATED: Father-daughter photo one of final images before Notre Dame fire

Before Arnault's announcement, Francois-Henri Pinault and his billionaire father Francois Pinault said they were immediately giving 100 million euros from their company, Artemis, to help finance repairs to the cathedral devastated by fire Monday night.

A statement from Francois-Henri Pinault said: "This tragedy impacts all French people" and "everyone wants to restore life as quickly as possible to this jewel of our heritage."

CEO of LVMH Bernard Arnault, left, and Francois-Henri Pinault, CEO of luxury group Kering. AP Photos/Christophe Ena)

Pinault owns the company Kering, which own luxury fashion brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent, according to The Hill.

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the cathedral and says a national fundraising campaign to restore Notre Dame would be launched Tuesday.

The French leader says he is seeking international help to restore the Paris landmark and calls on the world’s “greatest talents” to help.

The catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below.

The blaze collapsed the cathedral's spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the church's structure had been saved after firefighters managed to stop the fire spreading to the northern belfry.

The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions, immortalized by Victor Hugo's 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announces an architectural competition to redesign and rebuild the spire of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral after it was destroyed by fire.